Uneven Odds
by tanglingshadows
Summary: When the world ended, it wasn't just humans who were left in the dark. What would you be willing to give up to save the person who means everything to you? Even if they don't know who you are... ON HAITUS
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Hi, again! This is a new story that contains religious themes. More at the bottom!

* * *

Bethany hadn't always been a Guardian. When she first came into existence, she had watched over the wildlife, changed the seasons. Her world was their world—the ones that He created in His image.

One day, she had been called home and given a new assignment. She mourned the loss of the wilderness only briefly. Being appointed a Guardian was an honor, one that she did not take lightly.

Her charge was a young man, sixteen on the nose, to be exact. It was his birthday when she was put in charge of his care. The elder who assigned her gave no explanation why the previous Guardian had asked to be reassigned, but she found out that he had become a Hunter.

His job was now on Earth, putting demons back through the gates of Hell from which they escaped. Well, not so much "escaped" as Lucifer let them slip out to cause trouble occasionally. Hunting was for the Guardians that had seen too much harshness in the human world, and it wasn't too long before she saw the bitter injustice herself.

She felt her charge's anger and pain like a knife twisting in her chest. His tears hot stinging behind tightly closed eyes as his father brought down a leather belt again and again.

There was only so much a Guardian could do.

She tried desperately to send him running, and sometimes she managed to hide him in the woods, almost like a veil had fallen over him. She found herself falling to her knees, willing the young man to leave, filling his head with the urge to run and never look back.

The problem, and it was such a problem, was his free will. His creator had given him choice and his own judgment. Guardians were a conscience or a gut feeling to their charge, and he never listened to her.

She spent every day, pressed up against the barrier between her world and his, watching his actions, his mistakes, his tears, his regrets. She watched in silence as he slipped down a terrible path and her voice stopped being so loud in his mind.

Other Guardians looked on her with pity, but she wouldn't acknowledge them.

There was still hope in this man before her now. Years had past, and his heart had hardened to her words and pleading feelings, but she still believed in him. Still saw the light that lay at the center of his heart.

Yes, she would not lose Daryl Dixon. She would fight for him, and eventually, she'd get through. Somewhere in the last twenty years, she had begun to feel something much deeper than protectiveness toward him—something that she shouldn't be able to feel at all, and one thing was certain, she would never let him fall into Hell.

* * *

It was an unremarkable day when the world ended.

A simple death that her kind paid no attention to, but when the man didn't ascend to the Gates of Heaven or descend to the Gates of Hell, everyone paused and watched. The Guardians crowded around the one who was called to protect him, but he was just as confused.

He felt his calling was over but hadn't been given a new one.

As the man's eyes reopened some time later, a connection severed all the Guardians from their humans. She watched in horror as the man, neither living nor dead, rose from the table and attacked the doctors working beside a counter.

Everything happened so quickly after that.

The Hunters were popped back home without a second thought. Lucifer pulled back every single demon that walked the Earth and sealed the Gates of Hell and the portal that lead up through the dirt into the human world.

The humans had finally done something that stopped everything, and in that moment, God and Lucifer struck an agreement. A ceasefire, if you will.

She peered through the barrier at Daryl. She watched him as he was scared and confused, but couldn't help him. Couldn't feel his emotions or thoughts. Guardians fell helpless as their charges were eaten alive or turned into monsters.

God didn't have to speak to them to let them know. It was an instant connection that reached all angels at once.

 _Their decisions have brought on something entirely too great to ignore or solve for them. They've brought the plague upon themselves._

Her hand lay against the shimmering, clear wall that separated them, and she closed her eyes.

He said that there was nothing to be done, but she knew she had to try.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so this story is pretty different. It does contain religious themes, but I'm trying very hard to not make it preachy because that's not what it's about. It's about Beth coming to terms with the nature of the world her Father created, and Daryl understanding that there's more to the world than he sees.

I really hope you give it a shot! I got the idea while listening to "Saturn" by Sleeping At Last, though the title comes from Uneven Odds by Sleeping at Last.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Here we go again!

Thank you all so much for reviewing and your support!

* * *

Gaining an audience with the Father wasn't an easy task, especially after the dead had risen.

He had taken away the Guardians powers and brought back the Hunters. The Gates of Heaven and Hell were sealed, so when one of the undead was killed, the soul still didn't find peace or damnation. He answered prayers, though. She could feel him as he brought grace and mercy on his people on Earth.

Bethany moved quickly, her robes seeming to float around her feet, as she took the golden steps up to the tall, carved doors. The Archangels had been told she was coming because they waited for her, blocking the entrance.

"Please, I only want to help," she pleaded, her eyes locking on the beam of light that cut between the doors.

"He knows your desires," Michael said. She had never been so close to his intimidating presence. His wings were massive and shadowed her. "There is nothing to be done."

She took a steadying breath, finally ready to show her willingness to fight, her new desire to question. "If I could speak to his heart, I could guide him. If any of the Guardians could do their job, they would help His people. Why are we left helpless? Why are they?"

"Those that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." His words were emotionless.

She had to remind herself that this angel fought for the defense of Heaven long before she had been created. Everything was old hat to him. She shook her head anyway. "I can't accept that."

"It's not your place to decide to accept it. It simply _is_."

Her hands were clenched into fists, and the same anger that burned inside Daryl seemed to burn inside her, too. Before she could say anything further and cause trouble, Bethany turned to walk away, the shining streets and perfect sky all around her. "There is always a way," she muttered under her breath.

His voice echoed as she moved further from him. "Don't do anything you'll come to regret, Guardian."

How could she regret it, she thought as she arrived back at her watching post.

Daryl and his brother had found a group of survivors outside a big city. They were up high in the mountains, so they felt safe, but she knew what lay ahead. All Guardians could still see a little into the future. It was unbearable for them.

Soon their camp would be overrun and many would be killed. Daryl would live to see another day, though. Once she was back at her post, Daryl's brother's Guardian stood next to her and she asked, "Will his brother live through the attack?"

The Guardian looked at her with a brow raised. "Merle won't make it back to the camp. He will be facing his own troubles on a rooftop in the city. He'll cut off his hand but survive."

She squeezed her eyes shut as she grew more frustrated. "They'll be separated then?"

The Guardian peered hard, as if he were trying to look past the short time frame they were allowed. "I don't see anything beyond him getting out of the city, but I have a feeling that they'll not be together after that."

She turned and faced the barrier again. Daryl was going to go hunting. The group he was with needed meat, and the woods were his home like they had been hers once upon a time.

He slapped his brother's shoulder and told him to be safe. Merle shrugged him off and told him to make sure and bag some squirrels.

"I cannot sit by and watch him die," she whispered.

Merle's Guardian sighed. "What can you do? Defy our Father?"

Bethany paced, keeping an eye on Daryl's path as he trailed through the woods. "This isn't right. Daryl didn't do any of this. The people he is with are innocent, too. Why must they all be punished?"

A glow filled the space and they both turned, hitting their knees before the sight of God.

"I know your pain and your wishes." With a passing glance at Daryl, he looked back to her. "You cannot mean to trade your Grace?"

This was absolutely unheard of, but over the last few weeks, many things had come to pass that were outside her previous realm of experience.

"I don't know," she answered. It was the first time she truly admitted to herself what she had been longing for and thinking about.

"If you fall, you will be mortal. Your ties to him will cease. You will not see into his future or be able to sway his emotions."

"Father, I haven't been able to do that for some time. Perhaps, if I were closer to him, I could lead him."

"Or he could pass you aside." Her Father's voice was soothing and slowed her down. "The Gates are still closed. If you die down there, you will have to wait until this is settled."

"Why are the Gates closed?" she whispered. "Why not let those souls find peace, Father?"

He seemed to think over what she had said before speaking again. "I will think on it as you will think on your choice as well."

None of the angels moved as their Father simply disappeared as easily as he had came.

"What are you planning?" Merle's Guardian asked quietly from where he still kneeled.

"I don't know," she answered and turned back to the viewing window. In truth, she knew exactly what she was going to do. She knew what she was willing to give up. The ache in her chest at the thought of his suffering went beyond what a Guardian should feel for their charge.

Her Father always had a plan, and he knew before he materialized in her front of her what her choice would be.

Her hand lay on the barrier as Daryl walked through the thick underbrush of the forest. It popped a little against her hand with each bit of pressure she used against it. Her hand sank into it, and she never questioned proceeding forward.

The viewing window gave way as her forearm breeched its iridescent surface, causing cascades of light to shine around her.

"What are you doing?" A voice called from her left.

She didn't turn to look; instead, she closed her eyes and pushed forward the rest of the way.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

* * *

It had been so long since she'd been in the forest. Before, her presence wasn't noticed. She glided over the sticks and leaves. She watched sunrises and sunsets from her place high on a mountain peak.

When she woke up, the first thing she noticed about Earth was it was hard. The sticks poked into her back. She looked at her exposed skin and scraps littered her forearms, oozing thin lines of blood. A loud thumping filled her head and air filled her lungs for the first time as a necessity.

Her gasp was different from her voice before. It wasn't as songlike. It was high and sweet. Her robes were no longer cloaking her body, but she was wearing blue jeans and a yellow shirt. Her long golden hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was littered with tiny leaves and sticks.

"I've fallen." Her voice was a whisper and tears that she could never cry before filled her eyes. "Father, forgive me, but I'm selfish."

A warmth radiated from her shoulder, and she could feel him with her.

 _He had come down for her._

His words, though not spoken aloud, entered her mind. "This was always your path."

"Will I get to come home if I die?"

"When you die, your place will be waiting as it always has been, Guardian."

Her breathing caught. _When_. Of course she would die. "Can I tell him who I am? Was?"

The warmth moved away. "The path is yours."

"Thank you," she whispered.

The warmth left immediately and she felt the loss deep in her bones. There was no way he would be coming back to Earth again. She hadn't even expected him to come in the first place, but as she sat up, she realized what great gift she had been given. She knew that she had her Father's acceptance, and if it worked, maybe she could change things.

She could save Daryl.

After taking a deep, chest expanding breath, she stood up on shaky legs. She placed her hand against the trunk of a nearby tree and looked around. The undead roamed, and she had no means of protection and she was a human.

Surely, she had fallen through into the woods where Daryl was hunting. She closed her eyes and tried to feel his spirit, but it was no use.

"Okay," she said to herself. "Just begin walking."

Each step was an adjustment as she became accustomed to her human body. The way she needed air and couldn't move as fast as she liked. If she went too fast, her heart beat too hard in her chest and she panted for air.

The emotions that crowded her mind weren't new, but for the first time, she was feeling them for herself, not Daryl. She knew his fear. She knew the taste of his rage, but she had never once known what her own fear felt like. What uncertainty was and how it made her chest squeeze.

"Who the hell are you?" A deep, raspy voice called from behind her.

She turned around and her knees buckled as she hit the ground. There he was. Of course, he had found her. He was a tracker and a hunter. Tears clouded her vision again.

"Ya bit, girl?"

She shook her head.

"Ya lost? People get killed?"

Finally, she nodded slowly. "I'm alone now," she told him.

He looked her up and down before shouldering his weapon. "Ya sure ya ain't bit?"

Daryl was looking at her arms and the smeared blood there.

"No," she said. "I fell. They're not bad."

He grunted. "Got a camp not far from here. They'll take care of ya."

"I'm okay."

"Ya wanna stay out here on your on, so be it, but I gotta keep huntin'."

For her, killing animals was heartbreaking, but Daryl was a hunter and he used what he killed. She never once faulted him for it. It was the way God intended man to be. Then everything grew and humans changed.

"I'll follow you," she said. "I don't want to be alone."

He nodded. "Ain't from around here, are ya? Bet ya were a big time city girl or some shit."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not from around here, but it's not exactly a city either."

He hummed and started walking. "Ya gotta name?"

As she watched him walk in front of her, his muscles flexing, his short sun blonde hair catching the rays as they cut through the trees, she lost her train of thought. Daryl was always handsome, but in this moment, in real life, he was beautiful.

"Ya hear me?"

She gasped and nodded. "I'm—Beth?" Her name before had been Bethany, but she wasn't a Guardian anymore. The name didn't really fit.

He eyed her again. "Ya sure about that? Ain't never heard someone answer their name as a question before unless they was drunk."

"It's a nickname," she admitted. "My Father called me Bethany."

"Father, huh?"

"Yes."

"You a nun?"

"No," she shook her head. "Why would you think that?"

"Ya said 'Father' like he's a priest or something."

Beth laughed for the first time in her human existence. "No, I wasn't a nun. Just from a very formal family." The lies were coming easier, and it didn't feel like too terrible a sin to commit. One day, she'd tell him the truth.

"Follow me and for fuck's sake, try and keep quiet. Once we get to camp, I'll hand ya off to someone who can fix ya up."

Beth nodded. She didn't want to leave his side, though. She had fallen for him, but he didn't know that. It seemed unfair that she had the knowledge still. She knew everything there was to know about Daryl, but she couldn't use it. Before it was a way of helping him, now, in her human body, it felt like a violation.

"This way," he mumbled and she hurried to catch up. "Quiet," he growled and raised his bow.

Finally, she saw what he saw. A beautiful doe situated through the trees. It would be a hard shot to make, but if anyone could do it, it would be him.

A branch snapped somewhere behind the deer right as Daryl's arrow flew. It missed its mark and hit the deer in its flank.

"Fuck," he muttered. "C'mon, gotta track it now."

"Before the walkers get it," she said quietly. "It's wounded and can't get away."

"Ain't no walkers up here."

Beth touched his arm, and he pulled up short and stared at her fingers on his bicep before catching her eyes. She didn't move her hand even though she knew he wasn't too sure about the touch. The energy radiated from him into her, and it was something she'd never experienced in all her years.

"Walkers are coming. Not a lot, but," she paused. "They're why I'm alone now. The incline is hard for them, but they can make it, and eventually they'll make it here if they haven't already."

"We'll need to keep a better eye out then."

He turned to walk away and her hand slid off his arm as he moved away from her. The loss of heat left a tingle in her fingertips and a strange pang in her chest.

Human emotions. Unpredictable, full of passion, human emotions. She had always wondered how they dealt with them, but now she was experiencing it first hand. Beth had the strangest notion that she was going to drown in them before it was all said and done.

It wasn't only her Guardian nature seeking to protect him from certain death; it was the inklings she had felt before. The fullness that had invaded her heart, but it was more now. The pressure building behind her chest so much that it felt like she couldn't breathe.

Beth knew him, though, as unfair as it may be, and she knew that piercing that armor around his heart would be the hardest thing she has ever tried to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!

* * *

By the time they found it, a walker had eaten the deer. It was sad that it wouldn't go to further the health and well-being of the people in the camp, but there was nothing to be done.

There was also the impending news of Merle's loss.

He wasn't dead, but Beth couldn't tell Daryl that. Instead, she watched as he tried to hide his tears then start a fight with the new man, Rick.

Beth knew that the Guardians of these people would all be huddled together, watching from above. They couldn't help, but since all their charges were in the same spot, they tended to offer support as they watched the world unravel.

She knew everyone in this camp already thanks to that huddling nature before her fall. While they all wrestled together, she thought back on what she knew.

Rick was thought to be dead, but his Guardian had known all along he would wake up. It made his wife's Guardian frustrated beyond measure that she couldn't prevent her from becoming intimate with Shane, Rick's best friend.

Shane's Guardian had simply shrugged and turned away. "We couldn't prevent it before, Eliza."

"They weren't married then," she spat and folded her arms. "This is a breaking of vows, Alexander."

"Vows that they aren't aware even exist. The area is grey."

Rick's Guardian sighed. "When he finds them, they'll have more to worry about than the undead."

"Yes," Alexander agreed. "I can't see too far, but I know the jealously that shimmers in his blood. Shane won't let her go now that he has her."

Beth hadn't paid much attention after that. The drama of marital problems had always been hard for her. She didn't want to know the details of how a human's heart could sometimes fall out of the love it had previously known.

In their case, Shane and Lori's actions held no maliciousness. So, she had turned her attention from their future to Daryl's.

Now, she watched as Shane held Daryl in a chokehold, trying to calm him down, but she knew nothing would work. Merle might not have been the best man, but he was Daryl's brother. Blood was more important than anything else to the Dixons.

"Let him go," she said and stepped into the middle of everything. She felt taller and more powerful than she had before. "You can't fault him for being angry that his brother was left to die. You can't hold him down and tell him to be calm as you explain walkers were on their way up to the rooftop."

Everyone's eyes fell on her and she felt her cheeks warm under the attention. That had never happened to her before.

"Who are you?" Shane asked as he let Daryl drop to the ground.

She watched Daryl cough then looked up at Shane. "Beth. Daryl found me in the woods. My family was killed by walkers down the mountain."

"She says that they're comin' this way," Daryl added. "Since one got my damn deer, I guess she ain't lyin'."

"Where you from, girl?" Shane asked, as he looked her up and down.

"Not from around here," she answered. Soon, she'd need to come up with a more thorough personal history.

"I know that, but ya ain't even from Georgia, are ya?" He pressed her.

"No, I'm not. We ran like everyone else did. Are you all from this area?"

They looked around. "No," a Hispanic man she knew as Morales answered. "We're from South Carolina, but trying to get to Birmingham."

Andrea and her sister Amy answered in unison, "Florida." Then smiled at each other.

"I'm glad we're havin' a group meet and greet, but some random girl shows up and we just assume she's tellin' the truth?"

"Why would I lie? I have nothing to gain from that." Beth looked at him and tried to stare into his mind, but she wasn't even his Guardian to begin with. She wondered what the others were thinking now as they watched her interact with the group they had been watching. Did she have a Guardian now?

"You could have a group that wants what we have. A pretty little thing like you? You even got Dixon to start thinkin' with his dick instead of his brain."

"Enough," Lori's voice cut through the camp and Shane had the decency to look ashamed.

Beth cheeks were hot and she touched them. Human things again, an embarrassed blush.

Shane stalked off toward his tent and Lori laid a gentle hand on Beth's shoulder. "Let me get you cleaned up."

She followed with little hesitation. Lori didn't talk as she wiped off her cuts and scraps then picked the debris from her hair.

"There's not anyplace to sleep really, but I imagine that Dale will let you make a pallet on his floor in the RV."

Beth nodded. "Where's Daryl's tent?"

Lori paused for a moment then said, "Daryl stays off to the edge of camp. It's the green and blue one."

Beth nodded and stood up. "Thank you."

Lori smiled. "It's the least I can do."

All of a sudden there was a pain that went directly to her heart and a voice that sounded like Eliza floated through her head. "Tell her that the guilt she carries will only be settled if she confesses."

"No," Alexander's voice bled through. "If she tells Rick, things will become out of order. She has to wait."

Lori's hands were on her shoulders and she was leaning down to catch her eyes. "Are you okay, sweetie? Did you get bit?"

"No," Beth said. "I get terrible headaches. They come on suddenly sometimes."

"I'm so sorry." Her eyes were comforting, and Beth felt at ease again.

"I'll be fine," she said and backed away. "I'd like to speak with Daryl now, though."

She didn't wait for Lori's response as she walked as fast as she could away and toward the blue and green tent.

Was this how humans lived? She had lied more in the last couple of hours than she'd told the truth. She didn't like lying. She didn't want to go through her new human life keeping secrets from people she already knew or from Daryl.

She didn't tap on his tent or even announce her presence; she unzipped the curtain and ducked in, zipping it back behind her.

He was shirtless with his back toward her, his tattoos and scars on display. Daryl struggled to pull down his shirt as he said, "What the fuck, girl?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to talk to you."

He grunted and tugged the shirt to cover the back she already knew.

"What if I don't wanna talk to you?" He asked and turned around.

"I can't lie like this," she said slowly. "I've been watching you for so long."

His back straightened and his hand went to his knife. "This some kind of ambush? Ya get a fuckin' conscious all of a sudden?"

Beth leaned away. "What? No!"

"Then what the hell does that mean."

"You won't believe me. You'll think I'm crazy."

"I already do," Daryl said and laid back on his sleeping back. "Ya ain't dangerous, but you're crazy all right."

There was no way she could tell him that she as his ex-Guardian or that she had feelings for him or that she had been praying and trying to get through to him for years, so she settled for the less crazy option.

"I know certain things," she whispered.

"Oh, yeah? Like a psychic?"

"Kind of," she responded quietly. "I know your brother will live, but he'll cut off his hand. I know walkers will attack this camp tomorrow night and several people will die because you, Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog will go to get Merle and we'll be left unprotected."

He cut his eyes to her and didn't speak.

The pain split her skull again and this time it was Merle's Guardian that came through. "His brother will live. They'll meet again, but I cannot tell when."

"You'll see your brother again," she spoke through the pain. "I don't know exactly when, but you'll be reunited."

"Why am I supposed to believe your feelin's?"

Beth shrugged. "I can't say. Just know that your best interest is always in my heart, Daryl. Please always know that."

He stared at her for a long time before he closed his eyes. "We'll still go into Atlanta. I need to see for myself."

"I know," she whispered. "The camp should be prepared, though."

"Sure," he muttered.

Beth laid down against Merle's pillow and sighed. "Can I stay here with you tonight?"

He stayed quit for a long time. Tension seemed to envelope the little tent, and she almost told him to forget it then he said, "Switch with me."

Beth sat up immediately and moved around as Daryl shuffled over to Merle's sleeping bag. "Merle ain't the cleanest."

She lay down and nodded against his pillow, taking in his scent. She had watched over him for so long, but she had never known what he smelled of. It was woods and sweat, and completely pleasing to her.

She snuggled against his pillow and felt a deep peace settle over her.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

"What?"

Her eyes were heavy and she felt like she was going to slip off into some unknown darkness. "I think I may sleep."

"It's been known to happen when folks get tired," he said sarcastically.

"I don't sleep," she said, completely unguarded as the darkness closed in and the warmth and security of the tent seemed to surround her.

"So ya see the future and ya don't sleep."

"I fell a long way, maybe that's why I'm like this?"

Daryl's voice was far away as he asked, "Fell?"

"Or ran? I meant ran."

The new girl fell asleep on his sleeping bag and pillow, but he didn't sleep when he should have. Instead, he stewed in his anger for a little while then got caught up in the mystery of her.

Daryl thought about the area he found her in. It would have been impossible for a girl her size to climb that way without getting a lot more hurt. Then that voice she'd used to calm everyone down, the power in it, it wasn't a normal voice. It made his skin prickle and the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Then there was her eyes. He'd seen those before so many times in his dreams. Such a clear blue it rivaled the water down in the quarry.

The dead had risen up to walk the Earth, and as Daryl stared at her sleeping form he wondered, just what other kinds of things had found their way down there, too.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this story! I'm so happy you've given it a chance!

* * *

Beth was warm.

It was nice, and she hadn't ever felt warmth like this before. She knew in theory what it felt like, and yesterday had been hot, but this was a comfortable, cozy warmth. It radiated from her center and made her want to close her eyes again and burrow into the pillow beneath her head.

She kept her eyes open, though. They were still a couple of feet apart, but she watched his chest rise and fall, his mouth parted slightly as he gave in to a full night's rest. Her chest ached in a strange way, and though she knew he'd be fine when he went to Atlanta, she wasn't too sure about herself.

This world was different from the one she had been watching for so long. She wasn't strong yet, but she would be. If she made it through tonight, Beth would ask him to train her, and maybe, he'd see something in her or feel some hint of recognition.

Over the years, she'd seen humans carry affections for others who never had any idea, and she heard their Guardians talk about the torment they experienced. She didn't want that at all.

Her sleeping bag crinkled as she sat up. Other human things were making themselves known, and she really needed to find a bathroom or go out into the forest.

"What're ya doin'?" His voice was rough from sleep, and she jumped a little and flushed again. It was a lovely gritty tone.

"I need a restroom," she said quietly and looked to the tent door.

"Dale's RV," he grunted and rubbed his eyes.

"Thank you," she said and started to unzip the tent.

Daryl cleared his throat and spoke before she could even open it a little. "Ya said ya know things."

"Yes," she answered automatically and sat back on her heels. "I don't know much past tonight, though. I don't know who dies."

At that word, his lips thinned. "That's batshit crazy."

"I know, but I only want to protect the people here. To protect you."

He looked away, clearly uncomfortable with her declarations. "Yeah, ya said that already."

"Just promise that you'll try and keep it safer for tonight. I can talk to Mr. Grimes if you think that would help."

His eyes flared slightly. "Don't tell a single person about what ya told me. I'll take care of it."

"Okay," Beth said with a nod. "Bathroom now?"

He grunted again and waved toward the zippers.

When she stepped out into the sunlight, she had to blink a few times. The camp was already bustling with activity. Rick was off to the side by Lori and they talked quietly. Everyone else was scattered so she walked to the RV without anyone stopping her to say anything.

After a quick knock on the door, it opened up and she saw Dale peek his head out.

"Oh, hello, there! What can I do for you?"

Beth had always thought Dale had a nice smile. His life had been rough over the last few years, but he still remained optimistic about people in general.

"Daryl said that you have a bathroom?" She fidgeted with her hands because she realized that maybe Daryl didn't have that right to offer up the bathroom here. She had seen most people go out in the woods at some point.

He looked at her strangely for a split second, but she caught it. "Sure, Beth. Just go right on back. Anytime you need to go, feel free to use this one."

Beth smiled and entered the RV. There was thick carpet everywhere, and while the space was tiny, it didn't feel packed it.

After she took care of business, she came back out to find Dale sitting at the table, looking through a stack of books.

"If I had known the world was going to end, I'd have brought better reading material."

Beth laughed softly. "No one expected this to happen, but when it did, it really went fast."

"Yes, it did." He nodded and looked at the cover of one of the books intently. "Sometimes I wonder how much time we'll have left."

"It's better not to think about it," Beth said and slid into the booth seat opposite him. "Keep moving, keep breathing."

"Rules to live by?" He asked meeting her eyes.

Her nod was hesitant. They weren't her words, they'd been Daryl's for a very long time. "I better see if there's anything I can do to help."

He shook his head. "We sit and we wait. The only thing you can do is try not to be bored and pretend not to be hungry."

"I've never been hungry before," she whispered. She saw his eyebrow raise slightly and added, "Not true hunger at least. I've been very fortunate before this, so I'm out of my element."

"You come from money then?"

Beth knew what that meant, and if it kept the suspicion at bay because she didn't know how to do things like cook or wash clothes, she'd pretend.

"I know basic things, but my Father always made sure I was taken care of."

"I'm sure you miss him," Dale said quietly.

A wave of longing hit her right in the center of her chest and she nodded. Yes, she missed home, she missed the peace and comfort of his presence. This was the right choice, though.

"Get some fresh air," Dale encourage as he saw her start to lose her composure. "The sun is always nice when you're feeling down."

"Thank you," she said and stood up. She was out the door before more conversation could be made, and she saw that Daryl had already cornered Rick. Shane was off to their side with T-Dog, too.

They'd leave here soon with Glenn. Shane would stay behind and have another reason to hold a grudge against Rick.

Slowly, she made her way to the group of men and listened from behind Daryl.

"The walker was too close yesterday. People stayin'll need protection."

"Then don't go," Shane said with a shrug. "Even you know your brother deserved worse than he's gettin' up there."

T-Dog broke in. "What happened was an accident. I'll go and make this right, but even Merle Dixon doesn't deserve to be eaten alive."

That made Daryl tense. "Tonight, there don't need to be any lights at camp. People need to stay inside."

"Inside where exactly?" Shane asked, running his hands through his hair. "If ya haven't noticed, we're living in tents."

A sharp pain stabbed her temple, and Eliza's voice filtered in. "The cars. Everyone sleep in the cars. They won't—" The connection was severed and made her gasp with the sudden loss.

"Maybe if we all sleep in the cars that would work," she offered as she stepped up to Daryl's left side. "They're stronger than tents, and if everyone is very quiet and still, walkers will wander past without even noticing."

They eyed her then Rick looked at the ground. "It could work. It certainly isn't the worst idea we've heard."

She sighed heavily and backed away again. They'd use that how they wanted. In just a little while, Daryl would leave camp, and she would be on her own in this new world.

Eliza's voice had helped her, and she hoped that she would make a connection again soon. It couldn't have been an easy thing to do in the first place, so she would try not to get her hopes up for more.

* * *

Daryl watched Beth move through the camp, taking in everything, monitoring people, speaking with them, and he felt an odd pull to her. It was crazy, but there was something about the way she held herself. It was more than standing up with her back straight. She seemed _more_ than any of them.

His daddy used to say he was dumb as dirt, but Daryl knew that one of his best qualities was being observant. He studied people, he knew weaknesses and how to exploit them, and he could tell when something was going down well before it happened. As he watched Beth, he knew in his gut this woman was something else entirely.

He chewed on his thumbnail as he walked across camp to where she was listening to something Carol's daughter was saying. That kid needed help in a bad way. He knew what her daddy was thinking, and he had no problem putting a stop to that before it began…or at least he hoped before it began and it hadn't happened before. Carol was closed off and Sophia was just as trained as her mother, so who really knew.

"Need a minute with ya, Beth," he said and nodded to Sophia. She looked away quickly. Scared. It would take years, if ever, for her to trust a man.

"Of course," she said and turned to walk with him.

Her voice took on that soothing, powerful tone again. Like she held all the answers to any question he could think up.

"What did she want?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing. I went to her," Beth answered like it was completely natural. "She's scared and alone, and she needed to know that she's not. She has protectors looking out for her."

He shook his head. "Whole lotta good that'll do when we get overrun."

"She'll survive the night," Beth said.

"And you know that for a fact?" He asked, leaning against his truck.

"Yes. The future is always subject to change, though. If the path stays like it is, we'll be okay. We just need to stay in the cars."

"I'll be back before dark. We'll have to share the truck."

Beth bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "You won't be here when the walkers come. You'll be too late. It'll be dark, and you'll have to hide in the trees. It's okay, though."

He stared her down. "What are you?"

She paused and said, "I'm Beth."

"I didn't ask _who_. I asked _what_."

Beth looked at her boots and back up to his face. Those clear blue eyes were burning directly into him. She looked pained and shook her head. "I don't know what I am, but maybe one day I will."

"I don't know what else is on this Earth now, but I know for a fuckin' fact, you ain't like me."

Her hand went to her temple and she rubbed against it. "You're safe with me. You always have been."

The wording was off. The way she spoke was always too formal. Despite all that shit, he took the key out of his pocket. "Stay in the truck."

Before he could walk away, she grabbed his wrist and a shock lit up his arm. "I don't want to be evasive. It's not time."

Daryl shrugged out of her hold and grabbed his bow strap. "Any other pointers before we leave?"

She closed her eyes and her forehead wrinkled in concentration. After several seconds she sighed. "Take your brother's hand with you. You'll need it."

It was the weirdest thing he had ever heard, but what the hell did he know. The dead were eating the living and this chick just happened to land directly in his path. Maybe Fate finally gave a shit about Daryl Dixon.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Without a backward glance, he went to the delivery truck and hopped in with T-Dog and Glenn.

* * *

Like she had told him before, free will made things change.

Lori rejected Shane and told him to stay away from Carl.

Ed hit Carol.

Shane took out his anger on Ed.

All of this led to Ed being so angry that he refused to sleep in the vehicle with Carol and Sophia.

They all had a quick dinner and even packed away some snacks and water in the trucks and cars they were sleeping in so no one would have to get out. It wasn't too long after dark when she heard Ed's screams.

No one moved from the security of the vehicles, though. And truth be told, Ed wasn't that big of an asset to lose. She hated thinking that way because the Father had given him a life and chance to use it for a good purpose, but he had squandered it, and now he would be facing an eternity with Lucifer if the gates were opened.

The growls and groans got closer to her hiding spot, but she just covered her face with the blanket and tried to breath normally even though her heart was thumping against her chest. The sensation was still so foreign to her.

It felt like hours before they were gone, but it couldn't have been because the night sky was still very dark. She knew Daryl was in a tree somewhere nearby or at least she hoped he was.

The messages from Eliza weren't clear anymore. There were words here and there but since she'd been cut off so abruptly before, the words weren't fully understandable at times. It was like a whisper too far away.

With a sigh, she began to pray. She tried to reach out to her Father and to the other Guardians, but there was so answer. She decided not to search for voices; instead she focused on the feeling she would try and send her charge when she had been above. There was nothing there either.

Just as she was about to doze off, a soft voice filled her head.

"The longer you're away, the harder it will be to get through to you," Eliza said.

Alexander spoke next. "We'll still continue to try."

"Don't go inside," Eliza's voice cut off and then broke back in. "Not safe. The countdown…"

"What?" Beth asked in a whisper. "Don't go in where?"

"Jenner's good…broken."

"Don't tell Daryl who…until…"

Beth shook her head. "I can't hear you."

"He's meant for you." Eliza's voice came through clearly again. "That's why there are wings on his back."

Then their voices were gone. The crinkling that accompanied their attempts dissolved into the air.

She tried to breath evenly then think back about what they said.

Go inside where? Who was Jenner? When was she supposed to tell Daryl?

She knew exactly what they meant about the last part. Daryl's vest. The one his brother made fun of him for wearing. The white angel wings against stark black leather. Tears pooled around her eyelids and she reached up and touched the wetness.

She'd never cried real tears before.

There were so many uncertainties, but at least she knew that she had been right to fall for him.

* * *

A/N: I have a slight obsession with Hamilton which is where Beth's fellow guardians names come from.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I'm sorry I haven't been able to answer your reviews, but I love reading every one! This story will definitely be completed, but we'll be moving in the next month, so please bear with me as we make that transition.

I hope you enjoy this one!

* * *

Ed was dead. His body was still burning off to the side of the camp while Carol stood near it and stared into the flames. She'd get over it, but it would take awhile to get used to not being under someone's thumb.

Daryl continued to pack up his tent that he'd shared with Merle and thought about putting the bike in the bed of the truck and tying it down. He loved that thing, but it was his brother's so he rarely got to ride it.

If he was going to put stock into what she said, Beth told him that he would see Merle again. It was probably better to try and keep the bike with them so he could have something later. Even with one hand, he'd still want to drive it.

The trip to Atlanta went just like she had said it would. Merle was gone, and his hand had been left behind on the roof. Daryl took it with him like she told him to, and it certainly helped with the Mexican kid when it came to finding out where Glenn had been taken to.

It seemed unreal to think he'd been beaten up yesterday by a couple of gang bangers that turned out to be good samaritans just tending to old folks. Then showing back up at camp to walkers and having to hide up in the tree all night almost? Yeah, he was going to put some weight to her words for now.

One day, he'd be comfortable fighting the walkers, but they were too new for him now. It was still scary as fuck that something was trying to eat him alive.

He tried desperately to push that away and focus on getting his shit packed. They'd all be heading out as soon as Rick and Shane decided which direction to go.

"Can I help?" Her voice felt like it wrapped around him when she spoke. It was such weird, stupid feeling. He didn't like that she could sneak up on him or make him think things would be okay.

The fact that she had just shown up and had this effect on him made him mad and testy. He knew she was different, but no one had ever gotten the jump on him like she had.

"No," he said, never stopping his work. "Just go wait by the truck."

"I may not be good with things now, but if you teach me, I can be a partner to you," she said with that confidence he was getting used to.

"Don't need a partner," he said. "Just need ya to stay outta my way."

He saw her shoulders curve a little from the side of his vision. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll leave you alone."

Daryl felt like an asshole as she walked away, but it was for the best to put some space between them. He still didn't trust her completely, and it was probably because she was hiding shit, and he didn't like to be in the dark.

It also seemed like she knew stuff about him, and that didn't sit well with him. Hell, no one knew about his past except his brother and that's because they lived through it together in a way. Merle was gone before Daryl got the worst of it, but he had scars to match his brothers.

She had seen his scars, and she didn't flinch. She didn't ask questions either. It wasn't a curiosity to her. It simply _was_.

In a way, Daryl was scared of what she was and how she knew the things she knew. If the dead rose up, some kind of supernatural gate must have opened and just fucked up everything. If anybody else in camp knew that she was different, they didn't let on, and he definitely wouldn't tell them.

He may not have liked the feelings she caused in him, but he felt protective of her, too. She was his in a way. Her secrets were for him, and he knew that she'd only tell him what those were when the time was right.

Sometimes he liked to put his head in the sand and hope things got better or changed. This was one of those times.

Once he got the truck packed up, he noticed Beth standing near the group but outside the circle. She was watching and listening to the debate on where to go but not offering any opinions even though she probably had plenty with that second sight bullshit.

"Fort Benning," Shane said with a frustrated tone. "That's where we're set to go."

"I think we should try the CDC," Rick argued. "It's closer, and if there's a cure or people workin' on one, they're there."

"Yeah, or they could all be overrun since it's in the damn city, Rick." Shane shook his head. "You're willin' to chance that?"

Rick put his hands on his hips and looked away. "What happens if we drive all the way out to Fort Benning, and it's overrun? Then we turn all the way back and try the CDC? What if we can't find the gas? It makes more sense to hit the CDC first then try someplace further out."

There was logic there, but Shane didn't seem to keen on listening to reason. He was a hotheaded guy, and it seemed like the reunion with his not dead best friend wasn't as joyous as it should have been.

Guess that happens when you're banging his wife.

Daryl looked back over to Beth and saw she was fidgeting with her hands, but she still didn't speak.

"CDC then Fort Benning," Rick said and walked away.

Beth watched him with narrowed eyes then glanced back at Shane before sighing and walking away, too. She spotted Daryl and looked away but not before she blushed. She did that a lot around him.

When she got close enough, he poked her forehead between her eyes. "What's that third eye tell ya?"

Beth laughed quietly and rubbed the spot that he touched. "Nothing. I got something last night, but my connection isn't strong anymore. I know I'm not supposed to go inside someplace, there's a countdown, and someone named Jenner." Her face turned a brighter pink, but she didn't say anything else.

"Huh," he said and shrugged. "Maybe ya can't hear this far away."

Her eyes shot up to his. "I don't know what you mean," she said in a whisper.

"You'll tell me," he said and nodded at the truck. "Ain't like we got anythin' pressin' to get to. Just kill walkers and findin' food."

"Keep moving. Keep breathing."

Beth's words felt like a knife straight to the chest and he tensed up as he stared her down. She was stiff, too. Like she knew she had said too much.

"Where'd ya hear that?"

She shook her head then met his gaze. She never spoke, but those clear blue eyes told him all he needed to know.

Beth knew him, his past; hell, maybe his future, and for some reason she was there with him.

"Why are you here?" He asked and took a step closer to her. "How'd ya find me out in those woods?"

"I don't know when—"

"Daryl!" Glenn hollered from across the camp and pointed to the woods edge. A few walkers were stumbling along.

He held his crossbow in his hands and walked toward them. "Get in the truck," he told her without looking back.

She wasn't going anywhere. He'd deal with her later or maybe try and forget the interaction happened at all.

* * *

Beth knew that Daryl wasn't a big talker, but after they left the quarry to head into the city, she figured he'd question her on what she had let slip.

He didn't.

In fact, he didn't say much of anything for the first twenty minutes or so. Her burgeoning headache didn't help matters any at all.

It felt like someone was trying to get through to her, but all they were giving her was pain. She knew enough to know it wasn't good news they were trying to tell her. They were warning her, but from what?

Would anyone believe her if she told them what Eliza or Alexander relayed to her? Probably not.

She had saved so many people by suggesting they sleep in the cars, but what did that mean for the future?

There was a ripple effect now.

People who should be dead would now impose their free will on situations that didn't have them to begin with, so Beth knew that the future that had been set yesterday was probably swirling around today.

So many people, so many decisions, so many repercussions.

Just her being in the seat beside Daryl was creating a future that hadn't existed before. Every interaction they had changed the future just a little more.

He already knew she wasn't human, but maybe she was now? Her heart beat, she needed air and food. When she had been a Guardian, she needed nothing, not even sleep. That could be another reason the connection was fading.

Humans didn't hear the voices of Guardians, and she knew that they weren't allowed to interfere with the world now. The Father had let her fall and gave her a chance to survive that first hurdle, but now it was solely up to her it seemed.

Which meant, it really didn't matter what Daryl knew or didn't know. It didn't matter when was the _right_ time.

She knew enough about humans to know that if you wanted to create a relationship, you had to build trust. And she wanted Daryl Dixon to trust her as much as she trusted him, and that would mean that they needed to be on equal footing.

They were supposed to be in this together.

"Do you believe in God?" She asked as she looked out the side window.

Daryl snorted. "He ain't never done shit for me before."

Beth turned her body to face him and folding a leg underneath her in the seat. "God has already given you life—salvation. What have you given him?"

Not many people thought of that. They tended to wonder what God could do for them, but they never stopped to think of the simple things they could do for God to show their appreciation and love.

"I don't fall in line with any of that, okay?"

She sighed. "You don't look around and think about how amazing and wonderful His creation is? I thought you of all people would appreciate the universe He created for you to live in and be a part of."

"Why the fuck would ya think that?" He asked with a light laugh.

"You love the wilderness, Daryl. You revel in His work."

He eyed her for a brief second then went back to looking at the road. "Where you goin' with this? You sayin' God's talkin' to ya or some bullshit?"

It hurt to hear him speak that way about her Father, so she faced the front and turned her attention to the passing trees and blacktop. When she stayed quiet, he shifted around uncomfortably. She didn't speak, though. There were no words to say to someone who had been hurt like he had and not felt that saving hand.

She had seen it before, and she had questioned the suffering on more than one occasion. Maybe that's why she fell so easily and quickly when she finally had a good enough reason?

Humans were free to do as they wished. They were a creation that could and would eventually destroy themselves despite their Creator's love for them.

"Guess we're here," he muttered and pulled up behind the R.V. after several more long minutes of silence.

Beth looked up and saw the CDC standing in all its official glory. It was a large, imposing structure. Inside, the world's most deadly viruses resided, but strangely enough, it wasn't here that the virus started.

The sun was sinking low in the sky, but they needed to get inside or they would be forced into their vehicles for another night of hiding out, and she wasn't too sure she wanted to share a close space with Daryl at the moment.

Her anger was like any Guardians, righteous and consuming. It was nice to see not everything left her behind.

Once she was out of the truck, she fell into step with the others in the group, leaving Daryl behind her. The windows were wide and clear. Nothing moved inside the building, and the doors had metal shutters pulled down over them. The building had been contained a long time ago.

It appeared the protection on the outside had been lost early on. Military vehicles and servicemen lay all over, along with civilians. Walkers could be seen stumbling in the distance, too.

Rick banged on the metal shutter and soon everyone joined in with him. Beth stood back and watched, taking notice that the walkers that had been ambling away were now moving quickly toward them.

"We need to be quiet," she urged them. "The walkers are coming. We're too loud!" Her voice took on a panicked edge that caused everyone to pull back and look toward the vehicles.

Daryl let loose several arrows and took down the nearest walkers but there were too many coming.

"Get back in the cars!" Shane yelled and started shooting at the walkers that had come from the side of the building.

"Oh my God," Carol whispered and gripped her daughter tighter.

Beth's heart raced, and she knew she had seen this scenario too many times while above to think there was an easy way out or that everyone would live.

"Help us!" Rick shouted to the sky.

"We've gotta go!" Lori yelled and tugged him.

"No! The camera moved! Let us in! You'll kill us if you don't open the door!"

Beth walked quickly toward Daryl, hoping that being near him would ease the fear that crept up her spine and made her feel like she was going to scream just from the extra energy coursing through her veins.

As she reached him, metal clanging against metal pulled her attention back to the side and she said, "Let's go!" Taking Daryl's wrist, she pulled him along behind her.

She was a handful of steps from entering the building when a vision struck her so hard she tripped and crumpled to the ground, taking Daryl with her.

 _Food. Hot showers. TS-19. The countdown. Everyone is infected. The building exploding around them as she held onto Daryl and buried her face into his chest._

The metallic clang brought her back to the present, and she was already inside the building, the shutters falling quickly. Daryl stared down at her with wide, frightened eyes.

"Is she bit?" The tall, blonde man asked.

"No," Daryl bit out. "Panic attack."

He didn't believe Daryl, but he looked at everyone and shrugged. "Welcome to the CDC. I'm Dr. Edwin Jenner."


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

* * *

"I'll need to take a sample of your blood," he told them as they all stood in the huge lobby.

Beth turned her face into Daryl's shoulder. He could still feel the tingles of electricity from grabbing her and running. Still feel the absolute fear that consumed him as she closed her eyes and gasped at whatever she saw.

He might not have seen what she did, but he sure as shit _felt_ it. Now, she hung onto him, leaning against him, like she couldn't stand up on her own.

"That won't be a problem," Rick said. "Is there anyplace we can stay?"

"There's plenty of room," Jenner said. "It's just me now."

Everyone grew quiet as Rick asked, "They're all dead?"

Jenner nodded. "Either the virus got them, they left to be with their families, or they opted out."

Beth gripped his arm hard, her nails digging into the skin. "We can't stay here, Daryl. It's going to explode," she whispered frantically.

Her words registered, and he looked into her wide eyes. "So, this is where we weren't supposed to go?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure she's not bit?" Jenner stepped toward them.

"She ain't bit. Now back the fuck off, and let us out," Daryl said and took some steps away from everyone, pulling her with him.

Everyone watched him with their brows pinched together in confusion.

"I can't open the doors again," he said. "Like I told him over the intercom, once the doors shut, they're shut for good."

"You have enough food in here to keep us alive?" Shane asked, clearly having a hard time with this like Daryl was.

Jenner paused then shook his head. "No, but we have enough to last until it's over."

"So there's a cure?" Glenn smiled a little. "Or someone is close to one somewhere?"

Beth squeezed Daryl again. His sleeve was wet from her tears, and he wondered what else she had seen or was seeing. Her body tensed up regularly like she was preparing herself for another blow to come her way.

"Why don't we go downstairs, have some dinner, get a shower, then we'll talk, okay?" Jenner said. "It's a lot to take in, and I honestly need some time to process the fact that I'm not only seeing one living person, but a whole group for the first time in weeks."

The others didn't seem too sure about following him, but the prospect of food led them anyway.

"We gotta follow 'em," he told her. "We can't stay up here."

"It's going to explode. Tomorrow. Daryl, we have to get out."

"How long do we have?" He asked her, like her saying she saw the future was actually possible.

"Midday tomorrow."

"Then let's go down there, eat, and we'll figure it out."

He started walking, but she didn't move and he ended up dragging her a little. "C'mon, girl."

"Jenner can't take my blood, Daryl."

"What you afraid he's gonna unlock the code to bein' a psychic?"

"I'm not a psychic," she said in that voice that was weird and powerful.

"What are you?" He asked quietly.

"Daryl! Beth!" Rick called for them and motioned to the elevator that was open and waiting for them. "Let's go!"

Beth was the one that led him then and they stood in the elevator, her back to his front, and she never once let go of his hand.

* * *

Beth waited for Jenner to call her forward because she wasn't about to volunteer to get stuck. She couldn't believe how easily everyone else fell into line with the blood nonsense. Why wasn't anyone questioning him? His reasoning behind needing the samples was weak.

"You're the last ones," he said and patted his chair as he glanced to her and Daryl.

"I don't like needles," she told him and stayed in place.

"I need to make sure you don't have the virus," he said calmly, but his eyes were full of impatience.

"No," she told him. "You don't have my permission to take my blood."

"If you want to stay here, you'll have to give some for lab work."

"Why? You can't kick us out. You said the doors are shut for good. If you wanted to see if I had the virus, you only have to see if I'm bitten. Unless, there's some marker in the blood that lets you know ahead of time?" That caught his attention. "Then it wouldn't matter if we were bit or not, we'd still turn when we died."

Everyone was now watching her and Jenner have their stare down, and she wasn't going to be the first one to break. She had already done that enough when the visions that Eliza had been trying to push her way broke through with astounding force.

Jenner blinked first and sat down his needle.

"How do you know that?"

The rest of the group started talking at once, shooting questions his way that they should have asked earlier but didn't.

For a long moment, she kept quiet, mostly because she was dealing with a sense of betrayal from her Father. Yes, humans created this virus, but He was using it as a plague to teach them a lesson.

"I've always read that we were due for another epidemic to wipe out some of the population," she lied. She had heard humans say that before, though. "This is it, isn't it? Our extinction event?" She took the words directly from her vision of him from the next morning. "But it's not some sickness that adapted, it's one that was engineered."

Jenner stood up and cocked his head to the side. "Who are you?"

"I just want to sleep in a warm bed, and in the morning, I want to walk out that door. You've made your peace with this world, but there's still more for us."

Shane stood in front of her suddenly. "Who the fuck are you and what are y'all talkin' about? Both of y'all better start givin' us some answers before we have to make y'all talk."

"I'd like to see ya lay a hand on her." Daryl's voice was pure venom. "You'll wish ya'd never been born. I swear to God."

Shane took a few steps back. "Fuck you, Dixon. Inbred piece of shit."

She tugged Daryl back to keep him from advancing on Shane, and finally found a reason to smile. Beth could make him listen to her again. She could change his fate personally now that she was down there with him.

Jenner took that time to jump in again, "I'll show you some things then you can eat."

Beth watched as everyone once again followed Jenner.

Rick, Lori, Carl. Shane. Carol and Sophia. T-Dog and Jacqui. Andrea and Amy. Jim and Dale. Glenn. Finally her and Daryl brought up the back.

"This place'll still explode?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. The connection to Eliza was strong still. There was no headache with the stream of the future, and she wondered why, but that's all it was. Visions, no words or direction from Eliza.

Whatever she was doing, she was doing so without permission, and it could stop at any moment.

"Do we get out?" Daryl asked, following everyone else with Beth at his side.

"Yes, but not without loss."

"What?"

Beth shook her head. "I'll explain everything. I promise that I will."

* * *

 _TS-19_.

That was the person on the scan. The one he watched turn from human to undead. The one who ended up with a bullet straight through her brain.

"We have no way to stop it once it starts," Jenner said as everyone stood there with their mouths open. "It was supposed to be a chemical agent that mimicked the symptoms of the flu but obviously wasn't. Someone was developing this for an overseas organization when it got out. It spread too fast to contain. Since we don't know the building blocks of the virus because it mutates upon meeting with a host, we couldn't make a vaccine for it.

"What we don't understand is how the infection is now present in every living human. We've tested so many, and it's all the same. The blood is changed. As far as we know, it was never released as intended."

"But you don't know for sure," Amy said and sat down against the console of long dead computer.

"No," he answered honestly.

"So, no matter what, we turn into one of them?" Jacqui was crying silently.

"Yes," Jenner said. His voice was choking up. "Now, if she were still alive," he pointed at the screen, "she might have been able to figure it out. She was brilliant. It's just me, though."

Daryl looked at Beth who had moved toward the railing that separated them from the bottom section of computers.

Jenner pressed a button and the video started over. She leaned forward watching the lights flashing in the brain.

"That's what makes a person a person," Jenner said. "Then it just doesn't come back."

Beth turned around as the lights died and she had tears streaming down her face. She didn't make noise as she cried. He wondered if he should go over there and be near her, but then decided against it.

It was too much to process. Her. This.

"You're probably not hungry anymore, but there's some food in the kitchen."

* * *

Dinner was quiet but everyone ate before Jenner showed them their rooms.

"The showers still have hot water, so you should enjoy that."

Beth followed Daryl into the room that Jenner opened, and he didn't stop her. Daryl wanted answers, and he felt better knowing that she was with him instead of somewhere down the hall, alone.

When the door clicked shut behind him, he turned the lock and looked at her.

"You don't have anythin' with ya," he said, realizing for the first time that Beth only had the clothes on her back.

She looked down and smiled. "Just me."

"Ya gonna tell me what's goin' on?"

For a second, he thought she was going to tell him everything, but she shook her head. He sighed heavily. He didn't like this "I have a secret" bullshit.

"I'm gonna clean up. You sit out here and work through your shit. I ain't gonna have ya around if ya can't tell the damn truth. Don't have time for that."

Beth opened her mouth then shut it just as quickly as he stormed by her to the connected bathroom and shut the door. He dropped the backpack he had been carrying then opened the door again, careful not to make eye contact, and sat his bow outside.

Had he been thinking, he'd have put it on the bed or table, but he was being a little bitchy. A few minutes later, Daryl was under the warm spray, enjoying the calmness of the moment. Maybe she would come around while he was in there. Otherwise, he'd have to start guessing, and as much as he tried, he couldn't really think of a good theory to go on.

* * *

The shower turned on, and she sat on the bed.

So far, she knew about two days in advance, but the visions had slowed and the details were now blurry. If the visions had shown any sign of Jenner hitting the "opt out" button early, they wouldn't be in that room, but that stayed on course no matter what else changed.

She knew that Lori and Shane would get into a confrontation, but the moment she decided to intervene, he turned his sights on her and Daryl had gotten involved. It ended up a mess, so she left it the same.

Lori would hold him off, and their tension would continue to rise.

For the events further off, she couldn't really "intervene". Thinking about her path this far out was useless. Just because she changed something didn't mean everyone else would stick to the path that seemed to be in their future.

She didn't like knowing they would lose several people. The knowledge was haunting.

Now, he wanted her explain everything, to give him a look into the world beyond and above. In all the visions, there hadn't been one of her telling Daryl anything, so she had to wonder if it meant she wouldn't tell him a thing.

If she did, though, that would mean she wouldn't have to lie anymore, and she could have an ally.

Beth laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.

Tomorrow would be hard. The next day harder. Each day would build on the other, and they would struggle.

They might as well struggle together.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Beth's shower was long and truly an experience she wished she would get to repeat, but this was likely the last one for some time.

Daryl had let her borrow a long sleeved flannel shirt of his so she could sink wash her other shirt. It hit mid thigh and seemed so revealing, but also comfortable like her robes had been. The rough material of her blue jeans took some getting used to, so she decided to leave them off this time.

When she emerged from the bathroom, dragging a borrowed brush through her hair, she smiled his way.

"That was nice," she told him and scooted to where her back was against the wall and her legs stretched out on the bed.

He grunted and sat down on the other side of the bed in a same position. He was fully dressed with his boots on.

"Are you expecting we'll need to be on the ready?" She asked and pointed to his feet with the brush.

"Sure as hell ain't gonna get caught with my pants down." He nodded at her legs and she flushed.

"Well, I'll savor tonight because we won't get another one like this probably ever."

Daryl nodded. "Visions?"

"No." She shook her head. "I've got a couple of days, but I have this feeling this will be the last taste of civilization we get before we go into the wilderness."

He stared at her for a few long moments before she sat the brush down and turned to face him on the bed. She was sitting back on her heels and the shirt covered up her knees, almost like a small dress.

Beth touched the hem and smiled. "I can recall when you bought this shirt." There was no easy place to start, and this seemed so inconsequential. She didn't dare look at him as she continued. "It was the first payday after you started working in the stock room of that supply store. You didn't like that you had to wear that blue work shirt with the company name on the chest, so you got this to wear over it."

Finally, she raised her eyes to his. Daryl's eyes were narrowed and his lips set in a thin line.

"A long time ago, before you were born, I had a lovely job really," she told him with small smile. His eyes widened at her words. "I walked the earth and took care of the animals and forests and seasons. In her prime, the world was truly a sight to behold. His creation was breathtaking."

"What?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

She could tell he was scared, a little at least, but she kept going. "I can't tell you how long I did that because time had absolutely no meaning. Then on a day that was just like every other before it, I was called back above." Beth paused and caught his eye as she said, "A Guardian's job is hard but rewarding. Only those who prove themselves capable of such a precious task are given one. Some even say that it's a match of souls, not like how you're imagining, but a kindred bond on a basic level. You care for your charge, you only want their best interest at heart, and you celebrate their victories and mourn their losses right alongside them."

Daryl had stood up as she finished speaking and moved across the room. His eyes never left hers, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"On the day I was tasked with being a Guardian, I was shocked and humbled beyond measure. My charge wasn't a baby, though. That's customary. You're the Guardian of a soul from birth until death." With a heavy sigh, she decided to stop being vague and put it all out there. "You were sixteen when I became your Guardian. The other before me, he couldn't watch any longer."

"You're fuckin' insane," he said and laughed. "Holy shit. For a minute, ya had me goin', girl."

Beth felt lines form on her brow as she looked at him in confusion. "I'm not lying. It was your birthday, and your father was beating you. I tried and tried to make you run, but you're so stubborn. You rarely listened to me at all, and I considered it a great victory when you did."

His laugh turned brittle. "You're tellin' me you're my Guardian Angel, and for the last twenty or so years you've been watchin' my back?"

"Yes," she whispered earnestly and stood up from the bed.

"Well, you've done a pretty shitty job then, angel."

Her steps faltered, and she stared at him in shock. "I tried very hard to fulfill my duties to you, but you don't listen. Then your brother came back, and you followed him, and all I could do was watch!" Beth hadn't realized how impassioned she had become until her vision blurred with angry tears.

"You're a fuckin' nut," he muttered. "I don't know who you are or how ya found me, but you need to get over this shit real quick. I ain't gonna have a fuckin' stalker in the apocalypse."

"I'm not a stalker." Beth's voice was hard. She turned and went to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She started yanking on her blue jeans, that she hadn't washed, and her wet shirt. Once she was out the door again, Daryl flinched as she threw his shirt toward him.

"Oh, please." Beth stuffed her feet back into her boots. "I've spent two decades trying to keep you alive. I'm not going to kill you now."

"Where the hell are you goin'?" He asked as she walked toward the door.

"There are plenty of rooms here. I'll stay by myself."

Her heart was hammering away in her chest, and she knew her cheeks were on fire. Embarrassment and hurt flooded her heart, and she was going to cry because she wanted him to believe her, but he didn't.

She couldn't blame him, though. It wasn't like she had ever helped him. He was right. She had done a horrible job as his Guardian, and then she came down to earth, she lost her Grace for him, thinking she was the right person to help.

"Why don't you just take your happy ass back up to Heaven?" The cruelty in his voice reminded her of his brother.

In that singular moment she decided that she would never tell him what she gave up for him, and she would never tell him anything more about her past or his.

Beth wanted to slam the door, to hit something so hard that it left a bruise on her hand, but she closed the door quietly, never saying another word.

As she walked down the hallway, her head started to feel a little foggy. Almost like she was about to fall asleep. Beth reached out and balanced herself against the wall, as she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind.

"I'm sorry," Eliza's voice filled her head. "Goodbye, Bethany."

Then all at once, the buzzing presence of Eliza was gone completely gone. Beth's head cleared and she stood up tall.

The finality of the moment made her close her eyes against more tears. There would be no more visions. No more comforting words from her fellow Guardians. They weren't even "fellow Guardians" anymore.

She was human. She had given up her secrets, and now she would be alone.

With a heavy sigh, she straightened her shoulders and walked toward the living space that held the books and couches. Tomorrow, she would find a weapon, and she would learn to survive here.

Beth had taken a handful of steps before her vision turned black at the edges and she fell to her knees. The last thing she saw was the marble tile rushing to meet her face.

* * *

Daryl was scared as hell.

She had spoken to him with such authority and truth, but it couldn't be right. There was no way that God existed and he sure didn't have an angel looking out for him.

Then he remembered her eyes. Fucking hell, he knew those eyes. There were in his dreams and the sense of déjà vu when he was out hunting and the sky was so clear. Like someone was making sure something about his day went right.

How did she even come down here? Would she go back up?

Was he really asking himself questions like he believed her?

Daryl walked toward the bed and threw himself down, face first, on the mattress. He groaned. She was a beautiful woman, and it made sense that she would have him all twisted up. Beth was the first person to ever look at him with something other than wariness.

Even the group he was with had treated him and his brother like outcasts. Granted, they were going to steal all their shit and run, so it was warranted, but that plan was gone now. Daryl didn't know how long he would live, but he wasn't going to let Beth mess with his head.

Sure, she knew lots of random details about this life, but she said she could see shit. Maybe she really could, and she was under the impression since she could see it, that it meant she could help him.

He had no explanation for her saying she'd lived longer than he'd been alive, but chalked it up to being insane.

Tomorrow morning, he'd get up early, and they'd all leave. Jenner would open the doors for them, and they'd walk out like nothing had ever happened.

* * *

Beth woke up on a thin bed and the sheets were rough against her bare arm.

"It's going to be just fine," Jenner's voice came from her right. "You passed out, and I brought here."

She opened her eyes and looked around. The lab was just like how she'd seen it in her visions. Sterile and pristine. She sat up on the bed and watched as he fiddled with a microscope.

As she tossed the sheets back off her legs, she caught sight of the bandage on her inner elbow. All the air left her lungs and she breathed, "What did you do?"

Jenner looked up with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I had to see. I knew there was something different about you."

"You had no right," Beth said in an angry whisper. "None."

He looked back through the scope. "You've been out an hour. I took a few vials of your blood and looked at it immediately." Jenner turned his gaze back on her. "Your blood is clean."

"What?" Beth stood up and walked toward.

"Not only is it clean. When I put it with the other's blood, the infected blood, it attacks the virus until there's nothing left but clean blood."

"That can't be possible," she said and shook her head. The vision from before had shown her that by giving her blood, she would out herself as being something different and they would turn on her.

"It is entirely possible. Let me show you."

Jenner set to work prepping a new slide then motioned her over to look.

She watched the infected blood through the lens as it swirled around in strange patterns, attaching itself to more cells. It wasn't destroying the blood, but it was changing it. He dropped a single red splash of her blood on the slide and it changed again. This time her blood moved over the glass like a cleansing fire.

The twisting patterns before were swept away and in their place, her blood rebuilt what had been damaged.

"You see?" He asked, his voice full of awe.

"This can't be." The vision she had seen clearly showed what had happened with her blood, but that was before she told Daryl. Maybe she wasn't supposed to tell him and since the course in which Jenner found out about her blood was different, that meant the reaction was different, too?

"I can take some of your blood, give everyone in this building a transfusion, and save them all."

"You don't know if it will prevent the infection if we're bitten or take on infected blood," she said as she leaned away. "You just know that it might erase the virus from systems that were infected in a way you don't understand."

"I've already thought about that, but it's more than we've ever had before."

Beth nodded. "What will you tell them? They'll want an explanation."

Jenner shrugged. "It's a miracle."

They shared a heavy silence then Beth asked, "What about when this place explodes tomorrow? What's the point in transfusions?"

His shocked gasp was enough for her to turn her head and look at him. "How?"

This time she shook her head. "It doesn't matter how I know. It's how you're going to stop it."

With a nod, he stood up. "Can I take the blood and then I'll wake everyone up and start the process. It'll be done by morning, and you'll have about six hours to get out of this building."

"Wait." She eyed him carefully. "You're still not coming? You have a cure on your hands almost, and you're going to opt out?"

He sighed before moving around the lab, gathering up supplies. "The world is over, Beth. The infected outnumber us ten thousand to one. We have no means to survive for long enough to outlast them. There's no medicine, no constant food supply, not enough weapons." Jenner paused as he sat down the needle and bag beside her. "Most importantly, the people that have taken over now will use what you have as a bargaining chip if they find out about your blood. Honestly, if you don't trust someone in this group, we shouldn't do this at all. They could use you in the future against your wishes."

"I wouldn't let that happen," she said and held out her arm.

Jenner didn't speak again, and they began the process of taking her blood in larger amounts. He explained he wouldn't take more than if she were donating at a blood drive, and that based on his calculations, he didn't need to give the others much of her blood at all for it to combat the virus.

Beth was feeling queasy when he pulled the needle from her arm then gave her a stale cookie.

"So, now you just have to wake everyone up?" She asked, taking a bite. "We'll still die, but we won't turn. Then I guess if one of us gets bit by a walker we'll…"

"What're y'all doin'?" Daryl's voice sounded from the door.

She turned to face him, ready to tell him everything when a sharp pain caused her to jerk. She looked over at the needle sticking from her arm and the small amount of black blood being forced into her veins.

"What?" She tried to yank away, but it was too late.

Jenner looked away and shook his head. "I had to see. It's the only way, and you're the only person who I can be sure of."

"What the fuck did you just do?" Daryl yelled and charged across the room.

Beth's vision swam as a wave of dizziness washed over her. "Oh." She grabbed for his arm as she slid from the stool.

"Beth?" He was crouching down in front of her, his hands cupping her face. "Oh my god."

She didn't have to see herself to know what he saw. She could feel the film covering her eyes and her heart slowing. "Please don't let me be like that."

"No," he said, his voice was so low and hurting that she wanted to comfort him, but her insides twisted and burned. "No."

With a shaky breath, she gave in to the darkness again.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

I'm going to try super hard to answer all the reviews this time, so if you have any questions, hit me with them!

* * *

"What the fuck did you do?" Daryl's voice had reached a tone it never had before. He sounded like his old man before he took his belt and started swinging it. Any other time, he would have found that to be a bad thing, but as he held Beth in his arms and watched her skin turn deathly pale, he didn't care.

"Just give it a minute," Jenner said and kneeled beside her. "Her blood is amazing. I've never seen anything like it. It destroys the virus."

"And you injected her with walker blood to prove a fuckin' point?"

Jenner leaned away. "No. I mean, yes, but if we just give this a little while, I think that her own blood will fight off the infected blood. If that's the case, then when I give you a transfusion, your blood will be able to do the same thing."

Daryl carefully laid her on the tile floor then swung at the doctor will all the strength he could, catching him squarely in the jaw. There was a sickening crunch as skin met skin then Jenner fell to the floor, holding his face.

"You sonofabitch. She didn't want ya touchin' her blood."

"She could save all of you." Jenner's words were tight but Daryl made them out. "My jaw."

"You're a doctor. Fix it," Daryl muttered and then started to pick Beth up.

Her body was cold and as he laid her on the bed, she groaned. Her heart was still beating, and it looked like some color was returning to her cheeks. Daryl watched as Jenner went about setting up a pulse monitor and took a small sample of blood from the same arm he had put the walker blood in.

His face was swollen, but he didn't seem fazed by it. He worked putting a slide together and once it was complete, he looked through the lens of the microscope and started to cry.

"What is it?" Daryl asked, walking across the room.

"Look."

Daryl leaned down and saw blood on the slide. It moved around, but he didn't know enough about what he was looking at to make any comments.

"Do you see it changing?"

He did. Some blood was pushing into other blood, and once it was through it, it was a different shade. "Yeah."

"Her blood is fighting off the infection. Her blood is a cure."

Daryl took a step back. "It's a cure for us who haven't gotten bit or for people who haven't died yet. You can't put her blood in a walker and expect a human again."

Jenner nodded, holding his jaw. "I know that, but don't you see?" He pointed at the slide. "In a few hours, your blood will be her blood. I'll give you a transfusion and it will change everything. You _will_ survive this, in tact, if you can establish a place to stay, food, and avoid being eaten alive. A singular walker bite or scratch will not hurt you anymore."

"Unless we get a fuckin' infection from an open wound," Daryl countered. "Plenty left to be afraid of, Doc."

"I know, but now your odds are very much improved."

Daryl walked back to Beth's side and reached out for her hand. It wasn't as cool anymore, her breathing was regulating again. He felt the inside of her wrist, and her pulse was much stronger than before, too.

Earlier, he had this terrible feeling that something wasn't right, so he'd gotten up out of bed and went looking for Beth. She shouldn't have been on her own, no matter what bullshit she made up. She was harmless, and he didn't feel good knowing she was sleeping on a couch somewhere.

When he didn't find her in the lounge, he started looking all over the place and finally came to the lab. He noticed the bag of blood beside her and immediately got pissed off. She had told Jenner that her blood wasn't to be taken, and he'd somehow talked her out of it anyway.

Those few seconds of distraction had been enough for Jenner to pull that syringe out and he couldn't form words to tell him no or to stop.

All of the air had been sucked from the room as he watched her realize what had been put into her body. He couldn't think straight as she looked at him with filmy eyes and a racing heart.

The one thought that flashed through his mind over and over was that he shouldn't have been so fucking mean before and none of this would have happened. He might not have pushed the blood into her veins but his behavior forced her out into the building without him.

She stirred a little and groaned.

"That's not an infected groan." Jenner tried to smile but his jaw wasn't letting him. "Make sure you talk to her. Don't let her wake up scared."

"Scared?" Daryl asked incredulously. "You just infected her and you're worried about her waking up from that a little scared?

Jenner looked ashamed.

When she squirmed around again, Daryl touched her forehead, pushing some hair to the side. "Beth? Ya there?"

She turned toward the sound of his voice and blinked up at him. Her eyes weren't cloudy anymore and the clear blue was back in place.

"I guess it worked then," she whispered. Her voice was gritty. "It hurt more than I ever imagined."

"But ya feel like normal?" He asked as Jenner walked over to her other side and looked at her vitals.

"Yeah, sore, though. Like my body was twisted up on the inside."

"I'm sorry," Jenner muttered and Beth glanced at him, her eyes widening on his face. "Let's get started then?"

Beth nodded. "Daryl, let him give you some of my blood. It'll keep you safe."

The tone of voice wasn't like before. There were no power behind her words and a weariness in the way she closed her eyes. It was like the strength that propped her up had been siphoned away.

"I don't know about that," he said. "How the hell do we know it works how he's saying? What if it turns me?"

Beth shook her head, never opening her eyes. "It won't. It's only meant to protect."

"Guard me, right?" His words were tinged with sarcasm, but Beth didn't take the bait.

"Always," she breathed and swallowed hard.

Daryl looked to Jenner who was prepping another syringe. He had seen what her blood could do on the slide, and he remembered her words and conviction before. The way she was acting now was her giving up almost. Daryl felt this overwhelming need to do something to help her gain back some confidence. Finally, he shrugged. "What the fuck? Why not?" He held out his harm and watched as alcohol swab wiped over his skin then the needle as it pierced the inner crook of his elbow.

In all his life, he'd never done drugs. He didn't like the sting of needles or the push of something under his skin. It was torture, but he pretended not to notice.

Jenner eased the needle out of his skin and dabbed the small dot of blood with a cotton ball. He didn't feel any different and almost said that out loud, but then his heart sped up, and sweat broke out across his brow. His arms tingled and his throat felt like it was closing up.

He leaned over and rested against the bed that Beth lay on, and she turned her face towards him. There was nothing but concern there and she was speaking but he couldn't hear her over the loud thumping of his heart in his ears.

Then just as quickly as it started, it stopped.

"I'd like to take a sample of your blood now," Jenner said and moved toward him.

Daryl couldn't fight him off as he stuck him again and pulled some blood out. His head was foggy. When the needle was gone, this time he laid his head on the bed beside Beth's body.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked quietly.

"I'm sure it's just taking his body some time to get used to the new blood," Jenner mumbled.

"Oh," she said and stroked his hair. "What's the blood look like?"

There was the sound of slides moving around and a chair squeaking before Jenner let out a deep breath. "It's clean."

"Will it stay that way?"

"I don't know," Jenner answered. "In truth, I don't know if this will only keep his blood clean for a certain period of time or if he gets bit one day and heals, if his blood will become infected but he won't change at that time. To study this would take years, and we don't have that."

"So, we just accept this for what it is right now. A blessing."

"I should wake up the others and get them started. If it takes them a little while to recover like it seems to be doing to Daryl, they'll need to the time before you all try and leave."

Daryl opened up his eyes as Beth stopped touching his head. "Why did the air stop blowing on me?"

Now that she mentioned it, he didn't feel the AC anymore either.

"Once the system runs low on gas, it will shut down the unnecessary functions, AC is up first, lights will go next, eventually everything will be gone right before the countdown ends."

Jenner walked quickly from the room and Daryl wanted to get up and follow him, but he couldn't make his legs obey yet.

"I'm sure it's okay," Beth told him. "The countdown will take hours."

They sat in silence until Jenner ran back into the room several minutes later. "We have forty-five minutes until protective measures are taken to ensure nothing in this building gets out."

"What?" Beth asked and shifted off the bed. "That's not supposed to happen yet!"

"I don't understand it. There were still several hours left of fuel, but the clock is going and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

"We need to get everyone up now," she said and stumbled toward the door.

"I can't give them this blood and then expect them to be able to make it out of here. You'll have to take it with you." He went to the table where the bag had been and picked it up. "What happened?"

Beth shook her head as she took in the contents. What used to be her blood was now black and infected. "We haven't moved from the bed. No one has touched it."

Jenner stared at the bag and back at Beth. "I'm not trying to offend you, but there's something about you that's not quite right."

"I know," she said quietly.

"I can't take more blood from you right now. We can't let the others know about this because there's nothing I can do for them and get them out of here."

Beth nodded and looked to him. "Daryl, can you walk?"

He nodded even though he felt so sick to his stomach. He didn't even want to think about the people who lost the chance at having the blood yet. "I'll be okay. It's just a funny feeling is all."

"What does it feel like?" Jenner asked and went to him. He felt for his pulse and watched Daryl carefully.

"Like I'm being weighed down."

"Since this was the first time we've done this, I can't tell you that you're okay," Jenner said and stepped away. "I can't tell you that it will wear off, but I will say that you need to fight through it if you want to get out of this place alive."

Without another word, he left and started for the hallway where everyone was sleeping. Before too long, everyone was scrambling around and asking questions way too loudly. Daryl leaned against the wall by the door and watched as Beth explained what was going on since Jenner's jaw was too swollen.

"We have twenty-eight minutes," she told them. "Dr. Jenner doesn't want to come with us and will be staying behind. I don't like giving this as an option, but it really is up to everyone to decide for themselves."

He walked over to the lab table and looked at the pint of blood that had been taken from Beth up close. No one paid attention as Beth made her way to his side and whispered, "The best I can figure is we weren't supposed to do what we did. And…" she trailed off.

"And what? God got pissed and did that?" He stared down at the blood.

"Yes," she answered him. "God is merciful but he's also got a temper. People sometimes tend to forget that he's complex."

"He gonna kill me?" Daryl snarked.

Beth's eyes went wide and frightened. "Don't _ever_ say that again."

"You could always take out more blood later," Daryl said with a shrug.

"No," she whispered. "I believe the time has passed."

"So, what? We don't tell 'em about you being a cure and me havin' your blood?"

"We tell them nothing." Her voice was ragged and sad.

"We need to get the hell outta here," Shane hollered. "I ain't your judge, so if ya wanna stay, stay, but we need to go."

The countdown clock was on eighteen minutes, and Daryl pushed away from the lab table and followed the large group out into the hallway.

As he followed Shane with Beth trailing behind him, he said, "Need my bag and bow."

"I'll get it," she told him and picked up her pace to run ahead to the room.

Daryl looked over his shoulder when he saw that he group had thinned a little. Jacqui and Jim stood beside Jenner.

He nodded his head a little then continued forward as fast as his legs would go. Jim seemed more and more distant lately, not that they were close anyway. Jacqui wasn't built for this world. She was a nice lady and didn't do violence well. The only reason she'd been in Atlanta when his brother got handcuffed to the roof was because she knew in the inner workings of the city.

Everyone had a right to choose how they'd live or leave this new world, and this was theirs.

Beth popped out of a doorway ahead of him then fell into step beside him.

"Got the pack and your bow. I may have stolen a couple of towels but there's nothing wrong with that, right? I mean, they're going to be gone in a few minutes anyway."

He snorted and his lips tilted up a little. "Justifyin' your sinnin'. You sure you're an angel?"

Beth's eyes widened and she glanced around to make sure no one had heard. They hadn't. He knew when people were preoccupied and people rarely listened to what he had to say anyway.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked as the made their way up the stairwell toward the top level.

"Better," he said muttered. "Legs are tired."

"I'm sorry."

He grunted and pushed on harder than before. Last thing he wanted was to end up burned alive.

As they climbed, he wondered what happened to her blood. It didn't make sense for it to change like that, but there was no other explanation than something had caused it. He had told himself days earlier that if the dead were walking around, maybe other shit was real, too.

These infected, though, he could deal with. They were killable and he could fight. His eyes cut to Beth. She was something else, though. If what she said was true, and the reason that blood changed was because of some higher power, why wouldn't he want them saved?

Beth had said that God was complex. That he was merciful but wrathful, too. What had they done to piss him off so much?

Then he started thinking about the general state of the world, and it became clear pretty quickly that with all that hate and violence, any creator would probably want to scrap it all and start over.

When they made it to the lobby, Beth struggled to keep the bow on her shoulder.

"I'll take it," he said and slung it across his back.

"How do we get out?" Lori asked and pounded on the window. "The doors won't open!"

Everyone took something and started beating the dense, protective glass, but it was useless. Then Carol's voice caught his attention and he faced her.

"I found this when I was cleaning your uniform," she said quietly.

In her hand was a grenade. He sucked in a sharp breath as Rick reached out and grabbed it. "Everyone, get back!"

Daryl pushed Beth behind him and toward the stairs. It happened so quickly after that. His chest was on her back, covering her. The explosion shook the building, and he wondered if they hadn't beaten the clock.

Then Beth was nudging him up and dragging him behind her as his ears rang.

Once they were outside and in their vehicles, Daryl shook his head. The world was spinning and swallowed against the urge to vomit.

"Drive," he groaned. "I can't."

Beth's eyes went wide. "I've never..."

"You know what to do," he said and scooted across the bench seat as she sat up and moved over his lap to switch spots.

He couldn't explain it, but he _knew_ that she _knew_.

The engine turned over as she cranked the truck, and they lurched forward as she followed behind the R.V. They had gone a few feet when the CDC exploded behind them, rocking the truck and making her scream.

His heart pounded in his chest, but behind that was a tingle of something else. A fear that wasn't his own, a rope that extended from him and went somewhere else.

With that thought, he couldn't hold himself up any long. He laid down with his head touching Beth's leg as she jerkily drove away.

"Steady," he muttered with his eyes closed.

After several minutes of driving, Beth finally got the hang of it and she settle one hand into his hair again, stroking it softly.

His breathing evened out and that pull tightened a little more. A second recognition of peacefulness settled over him, and he wondered what that meant.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Thank you all so much for reading this story, and I know it's been a very long time.

That being said, this story is now complete and will update once a day.

It contains 16, including the epilogue. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

When he woke up again, he knew he wasn't in the truck any longer. The bed beneath him was soft, and he sighed as his head stopped swimming.

The explosion must have knocked something loose. Daryl had been dizzy and nauseated so he had laid down next to Beth in the truck. He remembered her fingers combing through his messy hair as she tried to calm him down.

He was thankful he'd just passed out. He didn't like being touched, and the longer he was awake, the more things came back to him.

 _The CDC._

 _Beth's blood._

 _The effects of that injection._

 _Jim and Jacqui._

The explosion that probably brought down every walker in the city on that location. He hoped they all walked right into the flames when they got there.

"Are you awake?" She asked quietly and he turned toward her voice without opening his eyes. "The others are talking about where to go now, but I decided to stay out of it. It's not my place, and I think this Rick and Shane thing might come to a breaking point soon."

Daryl couldn't give two shits about any of these people, if he was being honest. Sure, they were his people in this world now, but a love triangle between two childhood friends and one of them's wife? That was a hard pass for him.

"Who gives a shit," he muttered. "Where are we?"

Beth sat quietly for a moment, then answered, "Rick drove us to a nursing home in the city. The one that you went to for Glenn."

"Oh." He opened his eyes and looked around the room. It was barren and one window was broken. The cabinets along one wall had been ransacked. "They dead?"

She nodded. "Walkers had gotten in by the time we got here, but it seems like they were murdered to me. I think everyone else wants to believe it was walkers because when it becomes people, that's too real."

He grunted and tried to sit up. "They're gonna have to learn."

"Let me help you," she said and moved toward him.

He let her put her arms under his shoulders and raise him to a sitting position. Once he was settled, she backed away like she knew he didn't want her any closer than she had been before.

"What'd ya tell 'em about me?" He asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"I told them that you hit your head during the explosion. They were too busy to notice you acting funny before that."

Daryl grunted and looked around the room. He hated what had happened inside these walls, and the thought that more people like this could be out there set his teeth on edge. He fucking hated people taking advantage of those weaker than themselves.

Sure, times had changed, but that really didn't mean shit. Old people needed help? You helped them. Kids needed help? You helped them, too. Grown fucking people arguing over which direction to go in this shit hole of a world didn't sit right with him.

"Andrea and Amy decided they'll be driving for Florida tomorrow morning. After everything at the CDC, they want to see if their parents are alive."

Another grunt escaped his throat instead of real words.

Maybe they had it right. Going at it alone would be a hell of a lot better than following this group around. Merle and him weren't planning on staying forever anyway, so why should his plans change now? He looked over at Beth who was wringing her hands together and staring at the floor. He couldn't just up and leave her, though. For some reason, she was dropped in his path, and he felt responsible for her.

She was too green to leave out in this world and too meek to be left with the current group. It wouldn't be too long before they all started asking questions she didn't have answers to, and then shit would really hit the fan.

Daryl could just imagine the response if she told them she was a fallen guardian angel meant to guide him. They would laugh behind her back and send her condescending smiles to her face. She'd get marked off as crazy, and they wouldn't let their kids play around her or talk to her. They'd treat her like they treated him.

An outsider with no place in a group full of well-to-do pre-apocalypse citizens.

"Would you like something to eat?" She asked quietly and looked back toward the door. "They heated up some cans of food, and I can bring you some. I had a few bites of the beans, but nothing has really settled right on my stomach."

He caught her stare for a long moment then nodded. "Sure."

She smiled then. It was small and looked like victory. "Okay, just have a rest, and I'll be right back."

Beth slipped out of the room quickly and quietly, and as she distanced herself from him, he felt a strange pull in her direction, like a wire being pulled too tight. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was a guide…back to her.

He swallowed hard and wondered about her blood. Daryl had felt off since he had been injected, but the effects of that weren't known. Beth claimed to be something different altogether—inhuman.

The idea was fucking nuts, and he was probably just imagining the feelings of unease and shyness that crept along the edges of his mind even though he knew he wasn't feeling those things.

A spike of fear then a sharp turn into defiance leaked into his veins right before he heard the raised voices from the other room. Daryl stood on shaky legs and went to the door then into the hall a little ways until he stood in the doorway of the meeting room.

Beth stood holding a can and a spoon while Rick and Shane argued around her. Lori tried to stand up and tell them to settle down but neither man listened, and Beth shook her head and tried to back away, but Shane reached for her arm and drug her back toward them.

"She _knew_ , Rick. And I guaren-damn-tee that she knows more than she's lettin' on. She was probably government before all this. Some fuckin' genius who got out before it went to shit."

"That just happened to find a quarry outside of Atlanta? Jenner didn't know her, Shane. And she made some good guesses based on questions we all should've been askin'. She ain't a spy," Rick said in a tired voice. "She's just smart. If any of us had been thinkin', we'd have realized that the blood samples were stupid unless we'd been infected another way."

"I'm tellin' ya, she knows somethin', and if we let her go without spillin' it, we're fucked."

"I don't know anything," Beth said quietly. "If I knew how to help, I would. I wish, more than you could ever know, that I could lead you out of this mess. I can't, though."

"Can't or won't?" Shane asked.

Daryl felt her fear. Yeah, it was hers. He'd put the title on it and felt his own rage building up as he watched Shane's grip tighten on her bicep. Beth was scared and hurting. The weight of her pain sat heavy on his chest.

He walked into the room, and Beth turned toward him, and he wondered if she could feel him like he felt her. Did she know how mad he was? How confused? How helpless?

"Get your hands off her," he said in a low voice before he took hold of Shane's wrist. "You sure put your hands on women a lot, don't ya?"

Shane looked at him, his eyes narrowing and sliding to Lori briefly before meeting Daryl's again. "You don't like the way things get ran around here, Dixon, hit the fuckin' road."

His grip on Beth dropped and she back toward Daryl.

"I sure as hell might. Even with two down at the CDC and two more heading out, that leaves us with eleven. That big of a group? Shit, y'all won't last the fuckin' winter."

Beth placed a hand on his, and he cut his eyes at her and saw her worry the same time he felt it.

"Where y'all goin'?" Daryl ask. "Any decision?"

"Fort Benning."

"Find someplace to hole up."

Rick and Shane spoke at the same time and the room felt like the air got a little thinner as they stared each other down.

"I guess not," he said and nudged Beth behind him.

She took the hint and walked out the door. He followed and closed the door behind them. Once they were back in their other room, Beth held out his food.

"Why did you do that?"

"What?" He asked with a mouthful of beans.

"Start them back up over where to go."

Daryl shrugged. "They chase rabbits, and I needed to get ya outta there. You were freakin' the fuck out."

Beth sighed and took a seat on the bed next to him. "I honestly don't know what to do. I can't tell them anything, and I came in here too obvious about it all. The way I stood up for you at camp that first day, the ideas, trying to change the outcomes. Then the CDC. How stupid could I be? It was only a matter of time before one of them seriously started to question everything about me. What I need to do is lay low. Shane doesn't need anymore reasons to think there's something wrong with me or that I'm hiding a dark secret."

"Fuck him," Daryl muttered. "He's an asshole."

"He might be," she agreed. "But, that doesn't mean he's wrong. He sees something the others don't."

"What? He got a angel, too?"

A sting of hurt jabbed him in the stomach as he watched her turn away. He almost told her he was sorry, but she started talking before he could.

"None of the guardians can communicate with their charges anymore, so no, he doesn't have anyone from above helping him. That's not to say that Lucifer isn't playing with people still."

"You think he's possessed."

Beth laughed softly. "That's not the way he works. He'd send a demon up before he did anything himself. I don't think he would be so petty as to interfere here, though."

"Why? You're an angel. Think he'd like to get his hands on you." Daryl watched her carefully and even monitored her feelings, but she didn't get upset or anxious. It was like the thought didn't bother her a bit.

"I'm not significant enough in the game to be on the board." She smiled a little. "There are people, like the ones who did this, who would be ones he toys with. Worse ones down the line that he manipulates. Situations that he decides needs a little push. Father could stop all this with a simple thought, but humans have been so unrepentant for so long, that he's not going to do it. People who could make a difference stood by in silence while the world was ruined."

"So, what? Those people that didn't speak up gotta deal with this shit, too? I've done some bad shit, but I ain't done nothin' to deserve this. Those kids in there haven't either. I spent my life gettin' the short end of the stick, and now you're tellin' me that _God_ ain't gonna help 'cause he's pissed off?"

"Like I told you before, Daryl, things aren't simple."

"Seems pretty simple to me. Snap your fingers and restart."

Beth sighed and nodded. "If only things were that easy, I would have done that for you."

They fell into an awkward silence as he finished eating his dinner. Beth picked at her fingernails and hummed while they both ignored the elephant in the room and the arguing on the other side of the wall.

Finally, Daryl asked, "Ya feel this, too?" He waved a hand between them.

Beth nodded. "I didn't know that would happen or I wouldn't have told you to take the blood. I know how private you are."

He snorted. By even pointing that out, she was showing just how little privacy he had when it came to her. Even if she couldn't see his future anymore, she could feel his emotions, but she'd been able to do that before, too.

"Must be nice to have an inside look again."

Beth shook her head and stood up. There was another bed situated along the opposite wall that she laid down on. "If I could forget everything I know about you and make you trust me, I would give it all up in a heartbeat."

"But you can't."

"No," Beth said quietly. "I can't." She rolled over and faced the wall, dragging a blanket up around her shoulders. "If you decided to leave, I hope you'll consider taking me with you. I don't want to be left alone."

Her words hurt him, and he knew she felt it just like he felt her sadness. They couldn't hide from the other anymore, and in some ways, that made him want to leave her there and see how far this bond stretched.

Then he got to thinking about what if it never broke? What if he always felt her pain or worry and wasn't around to help her at all. What if the day came that walkers tore her apart and he was too far away and all he could do was feel that type of terror?

Then a thought whipped through his brain…

If she was who she said she was, hadn't that been her life before her fall? She had already experienced all those emotions while watching over him. Now, they made a circle.

Neither had any specials powers or knowledge to help, though. They were connected, and the only thing he could do to make sure she was okay was to stay with her, or else it would drive him crazy.

If he didn't know her feelings, though, he would leave them all behind. It was entirely too much.

* * *

Resignation.

That was what he felt across the room from her, and it broke her heart. He wasn't being honorable and sticking beside her because they were connected due to some miracle. No, he stood at her side because he felt there was nowhere else for him to be.

She knew he didn't know how to control the onslaught of feelings from her, but she knew how to turn them off. It was as simple as imagining a drawbridge. It rose up on clanking chains and closed off the flow of things between them.

If he wanted to make a decision about his future, she wouldn't have him decide to stay at her side like she was a burden he had to carry. Daryl could go and face the world on his own, and she would worry and she would hate it, but she would let him go.

He had free will to do as he chose, and he didn't need her feelings swaying him. The blood was a last ditch effort to make sure he was safe from the walkers, and now that he had it, she was a little more confident that he would survive for a long time.

She would survive, too. Perhaps on her own.

This group was splintered already, and the longer they moved along together, the worse it would become. The idea of striking out on her own made her sick to her stomach, though.

"What'd you do?" He asked gruffly.

"What do you mean?" She turned over and looked at him from her bed.

"You know damn well what I mean. I could feel ya, but it's gone now."

She could lie and tell him that the blood must have worn off, but she lied to everyone else, and she was so tired of doing that.

"I know you don't like it, so I closed it off. You could learn to do it, too, but it was easier if I did it since I know the way it goes."

"Why?" He asked quietly.

Beth looked away from his eyes for a moment before meeting them again. "Wherever you go, be safe. I hope that one day, I'll see you again, and when I do, you will greet me like a friend and not some crazy woman you dealt with for a few days."

"You think I'm leavin'?" He asked and the way he wouldn't meet her eyes let her know that she was right.

"It's okay. I won't hold it against you, and I won't beg you to stay."

When she realized that he wasn't going to speak again, she rolled back over and stared at the wall, willing sleep to take her.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, Daryl Dixon was gone. She closed her eyes and her heart dropped. Tears started to form, but the door opened and he stood on the other side, holding a small bag of chips.

"You okay?" He asked and moved to sit down on the bed beside hers.

"I thought you were gone."

He shook his head and handed her the open bag.

"Tried to go, but I couldn't leave without ya."

"Oh."

Her cheeks flushed and she looked down at the food.

"Yeah. Oh."

Beth didn't know what to make of that, but she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Maybe he would give her a chance after all.

* * *

A/N: Thank you again for reading, and I'll see you tomorrow!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Thank you for reading and reviewing!

* * *

They stayed at the nursing home for a couple more days before Rick decided they were going to get out of the city and find a place in the country to use as a safe house.

Atlanta was too dangerous.

Beth and Daryl hadn't spoken too much about what was coming, or if they would continue on with the group. He seemed to want to leave them as soon as possible, but the idea of setting out on his own with Beth caused him anxiety.

Not that she allowed herself to take a peek at his emotions. Beth would never cross that line again because she wasn't going to influence his decision to stick with her.

On the morning they were set to leave, they bundled up bedding and pillows along with whatever little things they could find throughout the nursing home. There wasn't much left, but taking things, no matter how insignificant they seemed, would come in handy.

Gauze, tape, a few bottles of peroxide, scissors. The prescription medicine was gone, but tucked away in a few rooms were some bottles of tylenol and aspirin. Daryl found a tarp and a couple of bungee cords back in the shop where the he had first met the Vatos.

They loaded things into the back of the truck, and covered it all with a tarp. Much to his dismay, Daryl decided to leave the bike behind.

"It's your favorite thing," Beth had said and tried to stop him from rolling it down his makeshift ramp.

"I've got more important things to worry about now. Don't need the bike. Gotta think smart."

Beth shook her head. "This is exactly what I don't want. I don't want you changing yourself for me. The bike means something to you, and I refuse to allow you to give it up."

Daryl snorted and shook his head. "I don't do shit I don't wanna do, and yeah, I'm changin' some shit 'cause of you, but it's 'cause you're more important than a fuckin' bike."

She sighed and let him hide the bike inside the building. There was a part of her that wondered what was going on in his head, but she didn't ask. He was barely putting up with her questions and presence in their shared room.

If Shane wasn't around, he probably would have left her, but Shane had taken an interest in her and what she may or may not know. Daryl rarely let her out of his sight because he didn't want Shane to corner her.

Beth knew that if they stayed, it would only be a matter of time before he confronted her again, and she wasn't sure what would happen.

"Been thinkin' that we follow 'em for a while then once they find a place to settle, we'll keep on goin'."

"Why follow in the first place?" She asked and folded her arms across her chest.

Alexander had been Shane's Guardian, and she trusted him, but since Shane was without guidance, she didn't trust Shane anymore at all. He scared her.

Daryl caught her stare and shrugged. "Ya wanna head out on our own?"

Beth looked away. "I don't feel safe here, and I think it will get worse. However, if you feel this is the best course of action, I'll defer to you. You have more experience in this world than I do."

"Let's follow 'em. When the time comes, we'll leave 'em."

"Okay." She nodded and stood up a little taller. "If we have to camp out anywhere, would you mind too much if I stayed with you again? Like I did at the quarry?"

Daryl finished tying down the tarp and and covered the bed of the truck. All their things were safe from the elements now.

"You ain't gettin' outta my sight. Me and you are one fuckin' person at this point."

She didn't have time to respond because Rick and the others came outside, and everyone else loaded up their own things. Pretty soon, they formed a caravan, and headed out of the city.

* * *

Daryl's hands gripped the steering wheel, and he wanted to look over at Beth, but he couldn't. He was trying so hard to undo what she had done earlier. He liked feeling her connection.

For the first time in his entire life, he hadn't felt alone. He connected with someone, and he wanted to keep her safe. Add in the fact that she was his guardian angel, he felt a responsibility to keep her safe.

He shook his head. Who the hell believed in guardian angels anyway? Not Daryl Dixon.

Still, something was different about Beth. He could sense it before, and after he had her blood in his veins, he knew without a doubt. Maybe she was something _other_ but she wasn't here to harm him.

"When do you think we'll stop?" She asked quietly.

They'd been driving for several hours and darkness was closing in. Daryl imagined they would stop soon for the night. They wouldn't be sleeping in a tent, though.

He'd crack their windows a little to allow for some air circulation, and they'd stretch out across the bench seat. It would be cramped as hell, but he'd be damned if he let her sleep in a flimsy ass tent.

"Soon. I'd have liked to get in a quick hunt, but it looks like Rick's forgotten we actually need fuckin' food to survive."

"He has a lot on his mind," Beth said with a shrug. "I think he and Lori will have to talk sooner or later. If they don't it will just grow."

"What you know about those two?" He asked, genuinely curious if she was aware of other people's inner workings like she was his own.

"Not too much," she answered and sighed. "I wasn't meant to protect them, but I knew their Guardians. All of them took their charges very seriously. We all do…did."

"Did?" He asked and shot a quick look her way. "They just give up once the world went to hell?"

She seemed to think for several seconds before she finally took a deep breath and answered, "We lost connection with our charges the moment the first human changed. Father said that the humans had brought it on themselves, and it was their turn to fix the situation. I don't think there's a way to fix it, though. I'm not sure what His plan is. I thought He would step in, but instead, He allows this suffering. I understand it's a trying time for humans, Daryl, I really do, but it's hard for me not knowing the answers for the first time in years."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "Guess I can't really imagine what you're goin' through."

"We all have our own stories. I'm sorry again that I know yours without you having the opportunity to share it yourself."

He was quiet for several miles before he finally gained up the courage to speak again.

"I don't know, Beth. Sometimes, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. You know how I am and why I'm that way. I guess…" he trailed off and hated the next part because it made him sound like such a pussy. "I guess I just wish I could say the same. Playin' field ain't level."

"I've told you about my before Daryl. What I don't know is me now. Who am I without my Gr—" she cut herself off and faked a cough.

Daryl wasn't fooled for a single second and said, "Your what?"

"Guardianship," she whispered. "Who am I without my Divine Appointment?"

Guardianship didn't start with a "gr" sound, but he wouldn't push. She'd eventually tell him her secrets.

"You'll figure it out," he told her. Tail lights signaled they were stopping for the night, so he followed the trail of cars down a county road out of sight.

* * *

After they ate dinner, which amounted to a couple cans of shared beans, everyone split back up into their separate vehicles with Shane saying he would take first watch.

Beth was naturally wary of him, but felt much safer when Daryl steered her back to the truck. He took a pillow and a blanket from the back and laid them down in the seat.

"It'll be snug," he told her and stretched out as best he could. "Promise I'll keep my hands to myself. Don't even wanna know what the punishment is for touchin' an angel." His voice held a small bit of laughter.

It hurt her heart so much. He tossed that word around so freely, but it was a title she didn't deserve. Even though she had promised herself back at the CDC, she wouldn't tell him her deepest secret, she found it balanced on the tip of her tongue.

Her back was pressed against his chest, and he's breathing was evening out. She knew he would drop soon, so if she wanted to tell him, she should tell him now.

She was no angel. She had lost her Grace.

The only supernatural thing left to her was a connection her blood was giving her to Daryl, and even with that, she wasn't sure how it managed to happen.

Before she could talk herself into telling him, his light snores filled the cab of the truck, and his arm slung over her waist.

It took a long time, but eventually sleep claimed her, too.

* * *

In her dream, there was a beautiful meadow with a log cabin set back against the woods. Daryl stood on the porch, holding a small child in his arms and he smiled at her.

His eyes weren't clouded with sadness or pain, and the baby looked like him, but the hair was so blonde it was almost white, like hers.

A figure approached her from the right, and she turned to see Eliza smiling.

"All we have to do is press 'reset', Bethany. It's so simple."

"How?" she asked as she glanced back at Daryl.

"Go back to the beginning."

Beth shook her head. "I don't know where that is."

"In time you will understand." Eliza reached for her hand. "For now, know that you're supposed to be here or else He wouldn't have let you come down, and that Daryl is supposed to have your blood to remain immune."

"Is this a dream or have you found a way to come back to me?" Beth asked, gripping Eliza's fingers, trying to understand all the information she was being given.

"I've been given permission to seek you out from time to time. To guide you and protect you. He listens, Bethany."

"He listens?"

Eliza smiled. "The Gates are no longer closed. Souls are being left in peace now. He listened to you, and now He wants to help you fulfill your purpose."

"What's that?"

Daryl still stood on the porch. The child still held tightly in his arms. His smile smaller.

"We mustn't reveal it all at once, but I will say this, dear one. If you want to save his life, you'll leave the group you're with soon. The Dark One senses a new beginning, and there's someone in your group who is ripe for manipulating."

"How is this possible? I'm no one."

"A battle is being set on Earth as we speak, and it's no coincidence that you've found a Hunter for a partner."

"He's not a Hunter like our angels. He can't put demons back into Hell."

"Some of the undead are demons, and he's killed quiet a few. Some of the men he'll cross paths with are evil, and he'll do the same. Just because his wings are sewn into his vest doesn't mean they haven't been placed there with purpose."

"Are you saying that Daryl Dixon, my charge, is a Hunter?"

"I am saying that the Father doesn't make mistakes, and you are exactly where you're supposed to be, and someday, you'll reset all of this."

Eliza backed away. "It's time to wake up, dear. Remember what I've said, you'll need to leave this group soon."

"What about this place? Is this just a dream or is this the future?"

With a beautiful smile, Eliza held her arms wide and said, "This is a possibility."

Without another word, she disappeared, and Beth looked back toward the cabin. Daryl and the child were gone, and a rumble of thunder caused her to look up as dark clouds covered the sky.

The next loud crack of thunder caused her jump, and as she did, she woke up, startled. She was still in the truck with Daryl, but it was about to start storming outside. She rolled up both windows and laid back down.

If that future was a possibility, did that mean that she and Daryl would survive? Would they have a child? How would they reset anything?

Beth shivered and pressed herself closer to Daryl.

Her dreams left her with more questions than answers, but she knew with absolute certainty that she must talk Daryl into leaving soon. If Lucifer was coming to play games, she was in no way ready for that.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Thank you again for reading! I love hearing your thoughts!

* * *

"Ya alright?" He asked in a gruff whisper.

His breath fanned over her neck and she shivered again. Beth liked being this close to him, but at the same time, she felt too much.

"I'm fine," she replied and sat up. "Just an odd dream is all. Did you sleep well?"

Daryl pulled his legs from behind her and sat up in the driver's seat. He stretched his arms out in front of him and shrugged. "Coulda been a hell of a lot worse."

Rain slammed against the windshield and he groaned. "We need to get back on the road before one of 'em gets stuck out in this mud. I ain't about to get soaked pushing' one of these bastards out."

Beth nodded. "Is anyone else awake?"

He looked at her and snorted. "Do I look like a fuckin' psychic to you?"

"Of course not," she mumbled and turned to look out the passenger window.

The silence stretched until he poked her arm and said, "I'm an asshole."

She knew enough about him to know this was as close to an apology as she was going to be getting, so she sent him a small smile before looking away. She thought about how much she should tell him of her dream and realized it was best to be vague.

The gap between them was already wide, and if she started spouting nonsense about a possible future, he would pull away from her.

What future could they have, though? She would always be more aware than him. She would have the upper hand, and Daryl Dixon didn't follow anyone. He had been right the day before, the playing field wasn't level, and she didn't know how to level it.

If she told him the things Eliza told her, would that mean she was giving him the same knowledge as her or was it a self-fulfilling prophecy? Being a Guardian had been so simple compared to this.

As she twisted her fingers together and the rain continued to fall in sheets, she said, "I know I've said it before, but I would like to restate my desire to leave this group as quickly as we're able. Things don't feel right, Daryl."

He grunted in acknowledgment before adding, "Won't be long now. I wanna be rid of them just as much as you do."

Beth didn't say anything else. It wouldn't do any good, and she wasn't certain what she should and shouldn't tell him. Instead of spending her dream listening to Eliza, she should have taken her by the shoulders and asked her what her next move should be with Daryl.

She was almost tempted to go back to sleep to see if Eliza would show up again.

At the sound of Daryl's window lowering a little, she snapped her head to look in his direction. Rick stood outside the truck, a jacket covering his head.

"Let's move back out to the road!" His voice was loud over the downpour. "We need to catch as much of this water as we can, too!"

Daryl nodded, rolled the window back up, and cranked the truck. Rick moved back toward the other vehicles as Daryl backed out and pointed the truck toward the highway.

"You stay inside the truck, okay? I'll get the empty bottles out and put 'em on the toolbox to catch the rain."

"I can help," she told him. "I'm not useless."

"I know that." His voice was a little softer than before. "You ain't used to bein' human, right?"

The ease at which he spoke of her _otherness_ made her pause. "Well, no. I'm not accustomed to having human needs—"

"Or illness." He cut her off and sent her a pointed look. "I know I didn't have the best fuckin' childhood, but I got my shots. I've had a cold and the flu. I've had the chicken pox for fuck's sake. Only time you've been sick is when that asshole infected you with walker blood."

Beth held her hands out in front of her and stared at the blue veins crossing under her skin. "I don't understand what that has to do with helping you. I don't think I'll encounter anyone with chicken pox, and from what I've seen of that, it's not deadly."

"How do we know your immune system isn't shit?"

"Well, I did fight off the virus that makes walkers, so I don't think it's entirely useless," she shot back sharply.

He ignored her and put the truck into park on the deserted highway. "You stay in the truck."

"I'll do as I please," she told him and went to grab the door handle. Anger simmered inside her as she continued. "I appreciate your concern, but I've been in existence longer than you can conceive. Rain won't harm me. I watched over the world before I took over as your Guardian!"

"You weren't human then," Daryl said as he slid across the bench seat and grabbed her hand. "I don't give a shit what you think about yourself. I don't care if you think you're insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I know what you are, and you can't convince me that every side in this fight doesn't have an eye on you."

That made her stop then. "What do you mean?"

His face was too close to hers, and she could make out the little flecks of darker blue near his pupil. The scruff along his jaw had grown longer overnight, and his lips thinned a little, like he was trying to figure out the right words to say.

When she drew her eyes back up to his, he looked away and dropped her hands. One slow breath later, and he moved back to his side of the truck. He wasn't looking at her any longer, and she felt the desire to turn his head to face her.

She wanted to see his eyes again.

"What if I'm all that stands between you and Hell?" He asked her quietly. She almost didn't hear him over the rain.

Beth licked her lips and knew this was her moment. "What if _we_ are all that stands between the world and Hell?"

The other vehicles pulled up around them and Daryl finally met her stare again. "Why me?" He asked. "I was nothin' before this. Nobody."

Beth shook her head and gaped at him. "You've always been someone to me. The light around your heart never once dimmed, Daryl."

The rain continued to pour down around them, and their world was inside of the truck. Beth couldn't make herself look away from his gaze, and for some reason, Daryl didn't break it either.

In fact, he moved toward the middle of the seat and slowly reached out for her hand. When his fingertips brushed hers, he said, "If I stay with you too long, you're gonna make me start believin' I'm worth a damn or somethin'."

"I'll stay however long it takes so that you don't need to be reminded then."

His cheeks flushed and he swallowed hard. "Need to get the water." He pulled away and looked out the windshield.

She turned her gaze to watch some of the others running around, catching water for later. Daryl didn't say anything else before he got out of the truck and went about his work. She stayed in her seat, her skin still tingling from where he touched her and her heart hammering in her chest at the thought of what their words might mean.

* * *

The water was cool against his skin, and he needed that. He also needed something to take his mind off the woman—angel—that sat in the cab of his truck.

Good Lord.

He shouldn't be lusting after a fucking angel. What was wrong with him?

Sure, she was beautiful and looked at him with those pretty blue eyes like he was something, but he needed to take several steps back and remember that he wasn't meant for her like that. He wasn't meant for anyone. Daryl's goal was keep Beth safe. Not hit on her.

There was a draw there, though, and it had nothing to do with sex. That was a lie, he was attracted to her, but she provided this safe space that he had never had before.

He took out a few water bottles and a one gallon jug. After he set them up and let them catch what they could, he peeked back inside the truck. Beth was still sitting how she was when he left her.

When he woke up next to her, he was warm and it felt right. He imagined that they could go out on their own, and every morning could be like this one. Maybe that was why he was stalling when it came to leaving the others.

Without them as a buffer, what would he try and do with Beth? There wasn't a whole hell of a lot to keep them occupied anymore. If they found a cabin the woods, they could plant a garden, protect it, and then they'd play checkers all day?

He let out a shaky breath and tried to stop from laughing. How did he end up in a situation like this? Why was he believing it so easily?

It was fucking ridiculous.

Then he thought about how real it truly felt. She knew him, and on some deeper level he knew her, too. Seeing her and talking to her brought on a sense of deja vú like none other.

"Once the rain stops, we'll try and make it further before tonight."

Rick's voice almost made him jerk back since he wasn't expecting it. That was another thing she was doing, throwing him off his game. He couldn't be so sidetracked if he was going to protect her.

"Think we should just fill up the bottles and leave," Daryl answered him without looking his way. "Drivin' in the rain ain't hard, and we don't need to stay in one spot too long. We've already been in this area since last night."

That seemed to make Rick think and eventually he said, "We'll leave in fifteen then. Any ideas where we can go?"

Daryl shook his head. "Someplace near a town for supply runs but still far enough away where people don't come stoppin' by all the time."

"Little farm house maybe?"

Rick seemed to be at a loss and, since he was at odds with Shane, looking for someone to bounce ideas off of. Daryl wasn't going to be his guy, but if it got him to leave him alone, he'd play along for a little while.

"Could be. Gotta remember that if those houses are far enough away, they might not be empty. We survived. Other people can, too."

Rick hummed and then walked back to his car.

Daryl continued to wait in the rain until all the bottles were full and most of the gallon jug was. Then he put everything away again as Rick motioned for everyone to get in the cars and start driving.

Once he was back in the truck, he shivered and Beth shot him a quick glance but didn't say anything. She probably wondered why he stayed outside in the rain, but he wasn't about to get anywhere near her when he felt so out of whack.

They had been driving about half an hour when the rain stopped and the sun came out.

"It'll get colder soon," Beth mentioned softly. "It's that time of year."

"Yeah, good timin', too. Deer'll be movin' around more and we need the meat."

"I've never felt comfortable with killing creatures, but I've always respected your methods. You're a very responsible hunter."

He cleared his throat and mumbled out a thank you. Her comments still threw him off a little when she talked about him from before. It was getting easier, though.

"Rick's lookin' for a farm house or somethin' out in the woods. Once they find it, we'll move along. Prolly won't tell 'em before we go. Just leave before they're awake one mornin'. Best to avoid any confrontations."

Beth nodded. "They won't like it that you're going. I know you think that you're an outsider, but they're very dependent upon your skills. Rick won't take it well if you leave."

"He'll get over it. He's got bigger problems to deal with right now."

"Yes, he does," Beth agreed and reached over to turn on the truck's heater. "Do you think that Shane will tell him about his relationship with Lori?"

Daryl looked at her with narrowed eyes. "He ain't stupid, but I bet he hangs it over her head."

"I'll never understand human relationships. I've seen so many people fall in and out of love. I've seen you with wom…"

Daryl's head snapped in her direction and he damn near went off the road. She was blushing from her forehead down her neck.

"I obviously didn't watch," she whispered in embarrassment. "I only meant that the human relationships that I've witnessed have been very temperamental and without much emotion. I'm unsure if that's what romance is supposed to be or if it should be taken more seriously? That's probably not the right word. I, mean, I don't think my emotions could be given so freely to several men at once."

He choked then. On what, he didn't know, but he coughed and hit the steering wheel. Daryl gasped for breath.

"I'm sorry," Beth muttered. "Forget I brought it up. I'm new. I'm sure one day, I'll learn how to behave more human."

Once he got himself under control, he struggled for words but came up empty. He couldn't explain casual sex to an angel. He couldn't tell her that sometimes people sought comfort and ended up feeling more empty than before. He couldn't tell her that Lori was sad and hurting and that Shane maybe took advantage of that.

Finally, he settled on, "If all you've seen has been what happened with me or the people in my life, those aren't the relationships you want to model your life on."

Beth seemed to think this over a moment then asked, "So, the women who wanted Merle to prove himself to them weren't behaving rationally?"

"Anyone with Merle wasn't behavin' rationally."

"I still don't understand," she said sadly. "Father wanted his creations to find a soul-binding love, but I'm starting to think humans aren't capable of that."

"It's possible, angel." Daryl chewed on his thumbnail and mumbled around it.

That didn't seem to satisfy her, but she let it drop. "Would you like to ask me something from about my life before?"

"What do you miss most about being before?"

He asked the question before he could really think it through. Maybe if he had thought, he would have asked her something more revealing about her nature, but his Dixon nature that was ruled by being impulsive won out.

She smiled sadly at him. "I miss feeling the connection I had to the other Guardians. To the Father."

His brow furrowed as he thought about her words. If she was a Guardian and had visions, why did she miss the connection? He thought about how she said the visions would come and go, and it had been days since she had last mentioned anything about them.

How could he not have noticed that before?

"Beth?" He asked carefully.

When their eyes met, he knew she was aware of his unanswered question, but she didn't answer. Instead, she looked forward and motioned with her hand.

"What horrible luck."

Daryl glanced back at the road. They had just rounded a curve and up ahead lay nothing but stalled cars.

"Son of a bitch."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Thank you for continuing to read!

As you can probably tell, I was wrong when I said 16 chapters. I got wordy. I hope you don't mind.

* * *

Once everyone had gotten out of the cars and looked around, it became apparent that scavenging would be much better than turning around straight away.

Beth followed after the children while their mothers looked through vehicles, and Daryl followed all three of them. He didn't say much with the kids around, and Beth was happy that their conversation was put on hold for the time being.

She had let it slip, and he was a smart man. He'd put it together before too long, and once he realized what she'd lost, he would feel guilty, and she didn't need his guilt.

The previous discussion about relationships was already uncomfortable enough. She knew Daryl had female companions through the years, and she knew his feelings afterward. She never understood why he did it, but she couldn't very well ask him.

Just another example of how they weren't evenly matched.

"You should go hunt while we're stopped," Rick suggested from a truck two rows over. It was full of water jugs that he, Shane, and T-Dog were moving into their vehicles.

Daryl shook his head. "Don't wanna get too far out."

"Sure didn't mind when we were at the quarry. Hell, last time ya went out, ya found that one there. Maybe you'll bring back another questionable addition." Shane's eyes slid to Beth and she cringed away.

She knew exactly who was in the right position to manipulate.

"Fuck you," Daryl said and continued walking after Beth.

Within seconds, Rick was by his side. "Listen, I'll keep an eye on her, okay? He won't get near her, but we really need you to get us somethin' to eat if you can. We've been runnin' low for awhile."

Daryl looked to Beth, and even though she hated it, she nodded. "I'll be fine, Daryl. I'm just going to stick with the kids."

He seemed as conflicted as she felt. "I won't be longer than half an hour. Maybe a few squirrels if I'm lucky."

Rick let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you."

Daryl pulled Beth away from everyone and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Open our connection."

"No," she said quietly. "I'll be fine, and if I need you, I will."

"I won't leave until you do it. I want to know you're okay. I won't be able to get anythin' done if I spend the entire time wonderin' if that bastard is messin' with ya."

"That's not how our bond works," she told him with a sigh. "You just get my feelings, and those aren't necessary right now. If I'm in danger, I'll let you in, and you come running to where the bond feels strongest."

He stared her down and finally gave a sharp nod. "Fine, but take this." He handed over his knife.

"Be safe," Beth said quietly. As she took the knife, she leaned up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

The action was beyond her control, and something she had wondered if she had the courage of doing. It seemed the longer she was human, the more human feelings seeped into her system, and she wanted to know what the scruff of his jaw felt like against her lips.

It was hardly pure in its intentions, and that made her worry.

Daryl seemed stunned by her actions and didn't breath as she moved away.

"I will be," he said and walked down the small hill and into the woods.

He didn't look back, and Beth was happy she didn't open their connection because she didn't want him to feel her excitement and confusion, and she surely didn't want to feel his emotions if they were negative toward her.

Emotions were tricky, though. Someone could be confused, but the outcome wasn't always bad, she told herself.

With a quick shake of her head, she turned around to follow the children again.

* * *

The problems began again when the RV failed to start and smoke poured from under the hood. Dale and Glenn pulled out a toolbox and began to work while everyone else watched on.

The kids weren't too far away, but were looking over the guardrail that protected cars and them from a long drop into a ravine. Beth imagined their Guardians hated every second of it. That brought a bittersweet smile to her lips.

 _Maybe Eliza would come and visit her again._

"Get down!" Rick's stern whisper pierced the air and caused the hair on Beth's neck to stand up. "A group of 'em are headed this way!"

Beth turned her head and caught sight of a herd of maybe thirty walkers ambling down the highway. Her eyes searched for Carl and Sophia along the railing, but they were scurrying under a nearby car. She rushed to their side and slide under next to them.

"Shhh," she whispered, holding a finger to her lips. "Everything will be fine."

She closed her eyes and released a deep breath then wrapped an arm over Sophia. The minutes stretched as the walkers staggered by. Just when she was sure that it would be okay to come out, a screamed filled the air.

"Don't move," she whispered as Sophia fought against her hold. Carl remained stock still on the other side. His face was turned toward the guard rail, so she couldn't see his expression.

She almost opened up her connection to Daryl, but she was fine, and if he came running, he might get caught up in the herd. Beth wouldn't put his life at risk like that.

"We need to run," Sophia said back in a panicked voice.

"They're still here. There's too many. We'll never outrun them, sweetheart."

Sophia still fought to get away as the screaming suddenly stopped. Whoever had been attacked was dead now, and the walkers would be busy with what remained. There was no telling when they'd move on either. Surely Rick and Shane would attempt to take out them out.

With her attention focused on the direction the screams came from, Sophia elbowed her hard in the ribs and scrambled out from under the car.

Beth reached for her ankle, wincing at the pain in her side, but she missed and Sophia got away. She watched the girl's feet as she shuffled deciding which way to go before racing for the guard rail again and the woods beyond.

Her terrified scream caused Beth to roll from under the car and take off in her direction. She knew Carol was somewhere behind her, but didn't see anyone else emerge from their hiding spots as Sophia tumbled down the grass embankment with three walkers after her. The others were still devouring what used to be one of their people—a man.

Beth didn't stop to think who it could be. Mourning would come later. Right then, the little girl was all that mattered.

The knife felt heavy in her grip as she chased them into the woods. That was the only advantage she had, she could move quicker than them and get to Sophia first.

She pushed the girl behind a tree and whispered furiously, "As soon as I get them away, you run right back up that hill, do you hear me? Be as quiet as you can."

"No, they're still there!"

Beth looked around her shoulder and saw the walkers were too close.

"Run back!" She pushed off the tree and flailed her arms in the air, gaining their attention. "C'mon!"

All three stumbled after her, and she kept her pace slow because of the pain in her side and because she didn't want them to get sidetracked by Sophia if or when she started moving.

They had gotten a good distance into the woods and Beth turned to glance at the walkers. They were still behind her, and she let out a deep breath. As she turned again, the toe of her boot hit an exposed root, and suddenly, she was falling down a steep hill with trees and vines in her way toward a small creek full of rocks.

Her breath caught in her throat and without even meaning to she screamed, but not out loud, in her head, Daryl's name.

* * *

Daryl walked through the dense woods not too far from the road. He didn't want to get too far from the cars or Beth. Without thinking, he reached up and touched his cheek.

He didn't know what made her do that, but it turned him upside down. It was a kiss on the cheek, and it somehow made his knees weak and his heart skip a beat.

Ridiculous.

A bright ray of sunlight shown through the limbs above his head, and he sighed. It was a pretty decent day for early fall in Georgia. Good hunting time, and he felt better knowing they probably wouldn't go hungry.

He stopped mid-step when an odd sensation crept up his spine. He was tingling all over and his hands were shaking a little. His heart rate sped up and he leaned against a tree to gain some balance.

Something was wrong. Something was happening to her.

What felt like hours passed as his blood pounded and his breath came in short pants then his stomach dropped completely, and he was falling straight to his knees as her voice cut through everything and seemed to ricochet through the trees.

"Daryl!"

Then as quickly as it came, it all stopped. The adrenaline was gone, the tingles were gone. All that was left was silence and a steady tug toward the south.

She was alive for now, but whatever happened had caused her to let him in. She was scared and called out for his help.

He slung his bow across his back and took off sprinting through the woods. The imaginary rope stretching between them leading him the right way. He only hoped it was as close as it felt.

* * *

When he got to the edge of the ravine, he panicked. It was too far a drop and Beth was almost submerged in water.

The scariest part was the walker that was dragging itself through mud to get to her.

Daryl sprinted through the woods and found a path that wasn't hard to navigate down. He held onto branches and vines. His boots slipped and he skidded down the incline on his stomach a little ways before grabbing a strong enough root.

By the time he was in the water, the walker had her foot, and she was kicking it. He raised his bow and shot the walker right as she turned around and saw it was him.

Relief flooded his system, and he imagined that she felt the same if she wasn't in so much pain from her injuries.

When he finally got close enough to kneel down beside her, he saw the blood on her face, the unnatural bend of her left arm, and the glazed look in her eyes. She was hurt bad.

"What can I do?" He asked as he tried to move her to a dry patch of ground.

"Turn back time so I don't trip down a cliff."

"Just stay awake," he told her and thought through the best way to carry her.

"I think my arm's broken."

He looked at it again and nodded. "Yeah, it's fucked."

Beth sat up against him and closed her eyes. "I'm gonna be sick." She turned her head and vomited into the water before passing out against his chest.

"It's gonna be okay," he said to himself as he brushed her hair out of her face. "Everything's gonna be okay."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Thank you again for reviewing! I love reading them!

Before you make any judgements on this chapter, please think about about how it all started.

* * *

Daryl glanced up the embankment and sighed. That was a long way down, and there was no telling what was wrong with her that he couldn't see. Mercifully, she'd passed out, so he took his bandana out and cleaned up her face. She had a decent gash on her cheek and another on her forehead over her eyebrow.

Stitches or no stitches, she was going to scar.

The connection between them was stronger than it had been now that he was closer, and he could sense her pain, but she wasn't scared anymore. Before he got to her and when she must have noticed the rotter, her fear tasted bitter in his mouth and he spit several times as he ran trying to get rid of it.

He never wanted to feel that kind of fear from her again. It almost made him double over thinking about it.

With a heavy sigh, he straightened his bow on his back and lifted her into his arms. She weighed next to nothing, but they were in a deep drop off, and there was no way he could carry her up it. Daryl looked around for a few seconds before deciding to walk through the shallow part of the creek until he came to an area that was less steep.

He was amazed he hadn't fallen and knocked himself out with how little caution he took trying to get down to her. He wondered how fast she had been running when she tripped or if she had just misstepped.

Then he wondered what the hell she was doing out in the woods anyway. She shouldn't have been away from the fucking highway. If it turned out that Shane had cornered her, he was going to have Rick's balls after he slit Shane's throat.

With his rage fueling him, he got Beth up a hill and back into the woods. He had been walking in the direction of the highway, but hadn't gone too far when a young woman on a horse rode toward him down a trail.

"Who the hell are you, and what're ya doin' with that girl?"

Daryl eyed the brunette and scowled. "She's hurt. I'm tryin' to get her back to our truck."

"How'd it happen?"

Nosy bitch. "She fell down that." He pointed behind him. "Cleaned her up as best I could, but her arm's broke, and she needs stitches."

"Who was she runnin' from?"

Her eyes told him that she already had an answer, but he stared her down. "I don't know. We weren't together when it happened, and since she keeps passin' out, I can't exactly get the story from her."

Her brow furrowed and she looked behind her. Finally, she spoke, "My dad's a vet. It's practically a doctor, and he's treated people before. He can stitch her and brace her arm. You can pass her up to me, and I'll carry her, so you don't have to. We're about a quarter mile away from here."

With a humorless laugh, he tucked Beth closer to him. "We'll be fine. If you're still offerin' help, I can drive there."

She made a noise, and tugged on the horse's reins. "Take county road 3220. It's the second driveway on the right. It's nearly a mile long." She passed him on the horse. "I'm Maggie, by the way. Maggie Greene."

"Daryl Dixon," he muttered. "This is Beth."

"I guess I'll see you soon then."

"Yeah."

Before she got far, she asked, "She's a little young for ya, ain't she?"

Daryl scowled. "She's older than she looks."

Maggie held up her hands. "Excuse me. Not all of us'll get carded into our forties."

"No one's gettin' carded no more."

That earned him a snort. "That's the truth. I'll be seein' ya."

The horse started trotting, and Daryl carried Beth through the woods towards the highway.

 _County Road 3220._

When he got to the embankment, he struggled up it, and Rick rushed down to help him with Beth's weight.

"Thought ya said you'd keep an eye on her. Found her in a fuckin' creek, almost gettin' eaten by a walker."

Rick flinched. "We got caught off guard by a herd, and Sophia got scared and ran. Beth chased her, and Sophia said she led the walkers away while she ran back to us."

"Of course she'd risk her life for a kid," he mumbled to himself. "Fuckin' selfless idiot."

Rick stared at him. "She did what we'd all do."

"Well, I only found her body at the bottom of a drop off and none of y'all around."

The accusation lay between them, and when he reached the pavement, he took her full weight back and carried her to his truck. "Ran into a girl in the woods. Said her daddy could patch up Beth. I'm gonna take her over to their place, and we'll be back tomorrow mornin'."

He laid Beth into the truck, and Rick came up behind him. "Wait! What girl and where are ya goin'? Is it big enough for all of us?"

"Don't know," Daryl said and turned toward him. "Ain't our place. Just usin' his services."

"Maybe we could work somethin' out with him if it's out in the country."

Shane chose that moment to pop up behind Rick and add in, "Or we could take it."

Daryl shook his head. "That's exactly why y'all ain't followin' me. Already got this feelin' of entitlement to a fuckin' place ya ain't never been to."

"How do you know he ain't just gonna kill y'all?" Rick asked, clearly upset about being called out on his shit.

"He won't, and if he does, I'll kill 'em first."

With that, he jumped into the truck and turned it around. He watched in his rearview mirror as Rick and Shane argued, and as soon as they were out of sight, the county road come into view.

Those two couldn't find their own dicks in the dark, so he knew they couldn't track him.

* * *

He saw Maggie on her horse, waiting by the gate, and he stopped and rolled down his window. "Y'all ain't gonna kill us or somethin', are ya?" Probably not the best way to reintroduce himself.

"What?" Maggie asked as she looked at him. "Why in the world?"

He saw it then. Something he hadn't seen before. This woman had been in a bubble. She didn't know what it was like in the city or even on the road. She might have seen the news, but she hadn't lived it yet.

"World's gone to shit. Most of the people left are shit."

Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe I should be askin' you if you plan to kill us then."

With a small shake of his head, he said, "Just want to get her better then we'll be on our way. Groups bring trouble. It's better on your own."

Maggie didn't say anything else. She hopped off the horse, and opened the gate. She led her horse through the opening, then motioned him forward. He went past slowly then stopped. Once she had the gate locked up and was back on the horse, he followed her down the dirt driveway.

When they were nearly to the farmhouse, an older man walked out and looked over the truck then shot a glare at Maggie. He knew. This old man here, he knew what the outside was now.

"What's this?" He asked and waved a hand at them once Daryl was parked and out of the truck. He went to the other side and pulled Beth out and into his arms.

The old man's eyes went even wider.

"Daddy, they need help, and you can help."

"Margaret Ann, you don't know these people."

She hopped off the horse and started leading it to a small barn off to the side of the house, avoiding the larger barn that the animal would have normally been kept in.

"That's Daryl and Beth. She fell and hurt herself pretty bad. She needs you to clean her up and they need a decent place to stay the night. I know enough."

When she was out of hearing range, the old man turned on him. "That's my little girl. She's got a heart of gold, but she's not the best judge of character. You make one wrong move, and I'll take care of you myself."

Daryl tamped down the urge to tell him to fuck off and walk away because Beth stirred in his arms. "Daryl?"

"Yeah, angel. Still here."

"I'm sorry for the fallin'."

"S'not your fault."

The man sighed and motioned to the door. "Come on in, and I'll get my kit."

He turned his back on them, and Beth opened her eyes fully. That clear blue was full of something other than pain. "I think you like me, Daryl."

"You feel that from after the fall?"

Beth smiled softly, but didn't say anything. She kept their bond open, though.

He couldn't say anything more to that, so he walked up the steps of the old farm house and pretended he wasn't turning red at the tips of his ears.

* * *

When Hershel came into the room, he looked over her injuries and seemed to be in deep thought about her wrist.

Beth wasn't paying much attention to what he said at all. In fact, she was fascinated by all the emotions coming from Daryl.

Since her fall, their connection had remained open, and she could feel his worry for her, his uncertainty about the people they were around, and his need for her. Not because he felt like he was supposed to be near her, it wasn't guilt or pity, it was a protectiveness that she felt when she thought of him.

That made her smile slightly against the pain, then wince at the cut on her cheek.

After talking with Maggie and Daryl, Hershel seemed to come to a conclusion about her wrist.

"I'm gonna have to straighten it out, and it's goin' to hurt worse than it does now. The bone will set right this way. At least, it should."

Beth nodded.

"Ya sure ya don't have anythin' to knock her out with?" Daryl asked. His anxiety was a low tremble through her hands.

"She's been knocked out enough. That concussion is serious, and I don't want to give her anythin' too strong."

Daryl started chewing on his thumbnail and looked away.

It was good that she didn't have to experience his worry for long. It turned out Hershel didn't need drugs at all because as soon as he moved her wrist back to its original position, she screamed and lost consciousness at the pain.

* * *

"Dearest one, what have you done?" Eliza asked.

They weren't in a meadow any longer, but in Hershel's front yard.

"I couldn't let the girl die," she said and shrugged. "It's in my nature."

"Well, your nature is causing problems. That little girl was supposed to die. I know you've changed the outcome for many things, but this was an important one."

"I refuse to think that a little girl is the turning point of the apocalypse."

"Of course she's not. You are!" Eliza seemed so frustrated, more so than Beth had ever seen before. "You need to get away from Shane now. Alexander is beside himself with worry, and Michael has even started pleading with the Father to step in."

Eliza looked around and her eyes grew dark.

"Bethany, what is a Guardian's job?"

She thought for a moment at how odd her old name sounded, and how she preferred Beth now then she considered Eliza's question.

"To protect my charge."

"No. Your job is to _guide._ Put him—them—on the right path."

Beth held Eliza's sad stare. "You mean I'm not going to survive. How do I change it?"

Eliza looked at the barn. "Talk to Hershel whenever you can. Gain his trust. He will be invaluable to you and Daryl. Don't go back to the highway. They'll come here."

"But I still die?" Her hands were shaking.

"I'm trying to look further into the future, but it's not working. I will tell you this, Bethany, we won't forsake you. All of us are working together to bring about a better outcome, but you must stay away from Shane and the barn."

"What's wrong with the barn?"

Eliza turned away. "That's where it happens."

Beth shivered and held her arms around herself. "Do I tell Daryl?"

"I…I don't know," Eliza said and held her head. "There are too many variables, and Lucifer is having far too much fun. The further we move into the future, the more important certain people become, and you may need to split your attention—"

Beth started to ask another question, but shadows formed at the woods edge, and Eliza froze.

"Wake up now." She urged right as she disappeared.

Beth closed her eyes and felt for Daryl, once she had a grip on his strength, she pulled herself back to the present.

* * *

With a gasp, she turned her head to see Daryl standing in the corner of the room. His brow was furrowed and she knew that his questions would come as soon as Hershel and Maggie were out of the room.

What he felt, she had no idea.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Thank you for reading! I hope you like this one!

* * *

"Got that arm as patched up as best as I could. It looks like a clean break, but no way of knowin' without an x-ray, and you know as well as I do we can't get one of those."

The old man sighed heavily, and Daryl stared daggers at Beth. For several minutes, she had been gone. Their connection severed, but then it came back a little at a time. It wasn't her doing, though. Someone—something—he had never felt before was pushing her toward him. The power wasn't bad, but he wanted to know where she went and who she talked to. The way she looked at him after she opened her eyes was proof enough that she knew something, and he was tired of waiting for answers.

For lack of a better phrase, they were about to have a come to Jesus meeting.

"Now, that cut on your cheek is deep, and it'll take some stitches inside and outside, but I don't have any that'll dissolve in my bag. Best I can do for that one is a lot of glue and some butterfly strips."

"That's bullshit," Daryl muttered, breaking away from his other thoughts. "That'll be a bitch of a scar."

"Yes, it will, but I'm afraid it's this or I leave it open, and we don't want that. Infection would kill her and then where would that leave you?"

Beth cleared her throat and whispered, "Hershel, please do whatever you feel is best. I'm so very thankful for your help and kindness."

He turned his head and faced her, and even though she seemed to lack her Guardian like posture, his eyes softened and Hershel appeared to be in awe for a split second.

After he shook his head, he said, "For the one above your eyebrow, I can fix that with a few stitches, but I'll warn you now, the numbing will hurt a great deal. Probably worse than the actual cut."

Beth smiled, wincing immediately because of her cheek. "I don't really remember the injury, so at least I can't compare it to anything."

"I guess so," he agreed and opened up his bag, pulling out several supplies. "Daryl, could you please ask Maggie to bring me some hot water. She'll have to boil it, so we'll have some time before we get started."

Daryl nodded and walked through the bedroom door. He didn't want to leave her, but he figured the old man was safe enough.

* * *

Hershel turned to Beth the instant Daryl was out of sight.

"If you need help gettin' away from him, I'll do whatever I need to do."

Beth laughed gently. "He's with me, Hershel. There's nothing you should worry over."

"You don't have to protect him. I saw how he was lookin' at you just now."

His seriousness caused Beth to lose her smile, and instead, she sat up and reached for his hand.

"I'm completely safe with Daryl. I'm with him because I want to be. He's not an easy man to get to know, so don't expect him to be warm."

Finally, after watching her eyes for a few seconds, he nodded. "Okay. I'd rather y'all stay here for a few days until I know that your cheek isn't going to get infected. We have enough food to share, and y'all'll be safer here than out there."

"So, you know what it's like?" Beth asked quietly as she let go of his hand and sat back.

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "This world won't ever be the same."

"No,"she answered back quietly. "The need to protect ourselves and our families is nearly everyone's driving force now."

At that moment, Daryl came back in and sat in the corner chair. "She said it'd be done in a bit."

Hershel stood up and walked to the door. "I'll go check on the generators while we wait."

"Probably for the best if ya keep the lights off at night," Daryl suggested from his seat. "Don't want to draw any attention to this place. It's too nice."

"Untouched," Beth added sadly. "It's too tempting."

Without a word, he walked out of the room, and shut the door behind him with a soft click. They stayed in silence for several seconds before Beth finally dug up the courage to ask, "What did you feel?"

He shrugged and huffed. "Nothin' at first. Then a little and a little more, but it wasn't you, angel. I know you, and this was someone else pushin' ya back to me—here."

Beth's eyes pricked with tears and she looked at the bedspread. How could she tell him? Could she fit it in before Hershel came back to stitch her up? Would it be good to tell him now so that when Hershel did come back, he would have time to digest the answers instead of lashing out?

She decided to lay everything out for him.

"There are some things you should know, Daryl," Beth whispered and reached out her hand.

He walked across the room and took it. His touch immediately making her feel safer.

"Who was it?"

She felt her lips turn up just a little to avoid her cheek hurting. "Eliza. She visited me this morning, too. In my dreams."

Daryl didn't say anything, and that was enough for Beth to know he wasn't going to interrupt until she was finished.

"I told you I was your Guardian, but I didn't tell you how I came to be here. I told you about how my visions were spotty but not the reason why. It might take a few minutes, but just listen and think about it all, okay?"

He nodded and squeezed her fingers gently.

Beth closed her eyes and tried to remember back to the day she knew she had to find a way through to him, and then she began.

"You were twenty-one, and Merle thought you should have this wild party. There were girls and alcohol. You rode a motorcycle while you were drunk. I couldn't watch for half the night because you didn't listen any way, and I didn't want to watch you die.

"Then, you fell asleep. I don't remember her name, but I honestly think it's because you never asked to begin with. I was ready to ask Father for a different assignment. I had watched for five years as you destroyed your life and stopped listening to me.

"I remember that right before I called upon His name, I beseeched you one final time. I said, 'Please show me that this isn't in vain.'

"It was almost like you heard me because you woke up, looked at the woman beside you, and rushed away as quickly as you could. The next few days were rough, but you got a job at the supply store, you bought that flannel shirt, and I was sure that you had turned over a new leaf.

"My heart hurt when yours did. I prayed for a better future for you every day. You slipped, but I never asked Him to let me leave you. I came to learn over the following years that what I felt for you went beyond what a Guardian felt for their charge. They were invested, of course, but when that life ended, they would move along to their next assignment.

"It wasn't until the world ended, and I met the others that I truly knew I was different. We all knew you and Merle were planning on stealing from them, but neither his Guardian nor I could stop it. I had been asking Father for something to change your mind. That you wouldn't be that kind of man. I knew you weren't. I knew your heart."

Beth wiped away a few tears and let out a long breath. Daryl sat motionless, his emotions switching between embarrassment and guilt.

"Eliza said that you didn't outwardly listen to me, but you were cautious. My presence was still felt by you. She's been a Guardian longer than I've existed, so I trusted her judgement. Then I found out about Merle, and how he wouldn't come back from Atlanta. I couldn't sit by and watch, Daryl.

"I went to the Father, but he didn't let me in, so I went back to my post. I watched you hunt, and I decided that if I couldn't get through to you up there, then I would just come down here."

"No," he whispered and scooted back. Realization flooded his system. "You didn't…"

Beth sat up a little straighter. She knew her time was running short and Hershel would be back soon.

"Father allowed me to fall. He let me choose my own path. I didn't lie when I said that my visions were getting farther between. The more human I became, the more I left them behind. Then I told you what I was, and that was the end of it."

"Beth."

His eyes were full of hurt as he stared at her. She could feel his disbelief then an unbelievable amount of guilt and rage building deep inside him. The next part would be hard, but she pushed through, knowing it was the only way to go forward and tell him about what was to come next.

"When I lost my Grace, I lost consciousness. That's when Jenner found me, and that's how you became immune, so at least something good came of it. Eliza still tries to lead me—"

"Stop." His voice was deathly quiet.

Beth took her hand from his and sat them on her lap. She waited for him to speak, but the only thing he could do was glare at the floor.

"There's more," she told him quietly. "It's about what Eliza told me just now, and it's so important, Daryl."

"I can't hear anymore right now." He stood up. "Why would you do this, Beth? I'm not worth this life. You've seen me. You've seen the horrible shit I've done and planned to do, and you…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "Don't do that."

She was almost finished closing off their connection, but let it fall back into place. "I'm sorry. I don't want to influence…"

"Stop that shit right fuckin' now. _I control me_. Not some fuckin' man in the sky and sure as hell not some fallen angel. What you did was wrong. You shoulda let me alone. Watched like the rest of them bastards up there."

"I couldn't. I care for you," she pleaded and moved to try and stand.

"Stay put. Hershel'll be back soon, and he'll take care of your cuts. I need to get some air."

"There's something else you need to know before you go, Daryl, and you'll listen to me damn it!"

They both froze at her cursing, but he held his bow strap and met her gaze. His voice was rough as he said, "Go on then. Tell me my future."

The venom that steeped into his voice caused her to get even madder. His rage mixed with her own wasn't a good combination for the next part of her story.

"I saved the little girl who was supposed to die, and now it's my turn. As of right now, I will die on this farm, near that big barn, and it seems like Shane will be the cause."

His knuckles turned white, and his anger turned to fear as she spoke as calmly as she could. She knew he could feel how scared she was though.

"Eliza said they were trying to figure it out, but the others will find the farm soon. Everything has been set into motion, and it seems you were right. A fallen angel, even one without their Grace, is too tempting for the Devil himself to ignore."

At that moment, the door opened and they turned to see Hershel come in with some supplies and a steaming bowl of water.

"I'll go ahead and apologize now for the pain, but I promise it's better this way," Hershel said with a pained smile.

Daryl turned on his heel and was out of the room before Beth could tell him to be safe. Something deeper than sadness stretched at the connection between them the further he went away, and Beth knew that Hershel's words, no matter how innocent, had struck a cord with him.

"I trust you, Hershel," she told the old man. "It'll only hurt for a little while."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Sorry for the delay, and I hope you like it!

* * *

At first he was just plain mad, but then the familiar sting of terror made its way around his chest. He remembered feeling this way after his father had beat up his momma. Pissed as hell then fucking petrified when those fists came his way.

She couldn't do this to him, though. She couldn't have fallen and lost everything for him. He didn't deserve that kind of sacrifice. Hell, he didn't deserve to have her even looking out for him.

The idea of her seeing how he was before, the drinking, the nights out with Merle. The few women he ever messed around with.

He cringed.

Daryl stormed off, deeper into the woods. He kept thinking about that night in the CDC when she told him what she was and he made fun of her and treated her like shit. That was the night she needed him most, and he wasn't there for her. Beth had lost whatever made her what she was—her Grace—he reminded himself.

"Fuck." He stopped walking and leaned against a tree. "How could you let her do this?"

Daryl knew he wouldn't get an answer, and he sure as shit wouldn't feel anything other than his own hurt. He was so torn up that he could barely feel Beth. He knew that she wouldn't shut him out, though.

With a steeling breath, he pushed away the hurt and tried to focus on her. Her pain was physical and mental. His forehead felt like it was pounding, and he knew he needed to get back to her, but he couldn't make himself walk.

What kind of man was he?

Not the kind that an angel came to protect. She might have said that he was good, but he didn't feel that. Mostly, he blended into the background. No one thought about him, and no one cared where he was. He took care of himself or didn't.

He would do stupid shit, but it would only be something that would hurt himself. Like drinking and driving that motorcycle down some deserted county road when he was twenty-one.

If she could feel what he knew he could feel now, he was ashamed. That night, his only thought was how easy it would be to let the handles go and just drift off the road.

The tears in his eyes felt hot and begged to be released, and he knew she felt that, too. It was almost like she was meddling with him to take his mind off the pain. Or maybe she was trying to comfort him.

The second option made him feel worse.

He told her she couldn't control him, but that wasn't what she was doing. She was trying to make herself feel happy, so that he'd feel it, too. It didn't help.

Daryl's mind turned to Shane then. That bastard would kill her for sure. He was already balanced on an edge, and it wouldn't take much to push him over. Throw Satan into the mix, and that was a fucking shit show waiting to happen.

What could he do?

Kill Shane?

If it came down to it, and they were all out there at the barn, would he pull his trigger first?

Damn right he would. He would shoot him right in his fucking eye if he leveled a gun at Beth. If he even tried to touch her.

A tingle went up his spine, and the air around him suddenly felt colder. The sky seemed to darken a little, and he turned around quickly. There was nothing out there but more trees.

All the noises of the forest just stopped and it was absolute silence.

Instead of ignoring her, he let Beth's warmth spread through his chest. It fought back the feelings of dread coursing through his system.

"You can't have her," Daryl said, his voice was strong and steady.

A gust of cold air whipped around him, but he stayed still. His whole damn life had been Hell. This was a fucking parlor trick.

"I won't let you," he added and turned his back on the wind.

It probably wasn't wise to do that, but as he began to walk away, the darkness receded and the sun shone through the clouds. The plan forming in his mind wasn't the most foolproof, but he wasn't about to just sit there and wait on Shane to show up and have her die.

Shit, he wasn't even going to sit around and wait to kill Shane.

Beth was the best thing that had ever happened to him before he even knew she was there, and it was about damn time he stood up for her. Her Grace might be gone, but she was still an angel. And if she believed he was a good man, then he'd prove her right.

It was the only way he would ever come to deserve her.

* * *

When he got back to the farm, his connection to Beth was calm, and he knew before he walked into the house that she was asleep.

Two new people stood in the kitchen, and the woman approached him.

"I'm Patricia and this is Otis. We're neighbors of Hershel's. He told us about you, and I just wanted to introduce myself."

Daryl nodded and kept walking to the bedroom Beth was in. He wasn't trying to be rude, but he couldn't care less about more people.

When he got to her room, Hershel was checking her pulse, but he wasn't worried. He could see the rise and fall of her chest and feel her spirit.

"She's still out," Maggie said as she packed up the dirty supplies. "I don't think she was prepared for the injections."

Daryl didn't speak, but sat on the side of the bed opposite Hershel. He gently pushed back some of her hair and looked down at her face.

She looked peaceful, but the stitches that lined her face now, made her look like an MMA fighter. His lip twitched a little thinking about her being in the ring like that.

"When she wakes up, give her one of these," Hershel said, drawing him out of his thoughts. He passed a pill bottle to Daryl. "She'll need it. The soreness from those stitches will be somethin' else when she comes to."

"Got it," he mumbled and took the bottle.

"I need to ask; are there anymore of y'all?" Hershel kept his gaze as Maggie left the room.

Daryl told him the truth. What else could he do now that he knew what he had to avoid?

"We're part of a group, but I wouldn't let 'em follow us here. I had gone huntin' while they were on the road. Some walkers came, and a little girl tried to run 'cause she was scared and Beth went after her, ended up fallin' down into a creek and gettin' hurt after she drew the walkers of the girl."

"You left the group on the road instead of leadin' them here?"

The question was laced with confusion, and Daryl made eye contact with him as he said, "Like I said before, ya can't trust many people nowadays."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hershel said while standing up from his chair.

Daryl didn't say anything as the old man left. He turned back to Beth and watched as she rested for a couple of minutes then leaned back in his chair.

He would give her an hour or so, then he was waking her up if she didn't wake up on her own. Until then, he needed to talk to Hershel.

* * *

"Hey," Daryl whispered and shook her good shoulder gently. "Get up."

"My head's throbbing." Then it all came back.

The road. Sophia. Falling down that drop off. Daryl saving her. Eliza with her warning. Hershel and his stitches.

Beth opened her eyes and was met with Daryl looming over her. "Time's up, angel."

"What?" Her voice was scratchy.

He placed a hand on her cheek and gently traced under her stitches. "We gotta go, Beth. _We gotta go_."

That's when she noticed the bag at the foot of the bed, and Daryl's crossbow beside it.

"Where?"

"Away but here. You said that you die here, but that can't happen if ya ain't around in the first place."

Her eyes widened. "Daryl, we can't leave. We supposed to be here."

"Says who? I don't see no one in this room but me and you, and if you've already changed the future once, let's change it again."

Beth looked from him to the bag, let herself enjoy the fell of his skin against hers for a second longer then said, "I won't have you running for me."

He shook his head. "You know what I feel. You know this has nothin' to do with what ya were before."

Daryl slowly leaned forward and placed his forehead against her temple. He was so careful to avoid her injuries and his lips barely brushed her skin.

"We gotta go before it's too late."

"How do we leave Hershel?"

"I told him about Shane. I told him about the group. If they show up, he knows damn good and well what they're capable of. If we leave, Beth, we don't know if we change that future. Maybe they never come here."

"Or, we leave now, go back to the road and leave with them. We get them far away from Hershel and Maggie. Protect them."

"No," he said softly. "We ain't seein' them again. We leave here, and it's like we never existed. Ya hear me? If we gotta leave Georgia, we'll fuckin' leave Georgia."

"We can't spend the rest of our lives runnin', Daryl."

Finally he pulled away. "I'd rather spend my days runnin' than watch ya die here."

As he said that, there was a loud noise from the front of the house and a lot of yelling. Daryl tensed immediately. Beth's shoulders sagged.

It was too late.

* * *

Daryl didn't want to help her stand up, but she forced him. By forced, she tried to stand up on her own and started to fall since she was dizzy.

"We go together," she told him.

They walked to the front room where all the noise was coming from and Daryl saw Otis crying against Patricia. He peeked into the room and saw what was happening as Beth gasped beside him.

"Carl," she whispered and tried to go to him.

"Let Hershel work," Daryl said and pulled her back to his side. "We can't help him."

Rick and Shane stood off to the side while Hershel and Maggie tried to stop the flow of blood from Carl's stomach.

"He'll need more blood if I can get this stopped. Do you know his blood type?" Hershel didn't look up from where he had his hands pressed against Carl.

"I'm a match," Rick said, looking at his hands that were covered in blood. His shirt was, too.

"Good."

They both saw Daryl and Beth at the same time. One looked relieved, the other looked suspicious.

"She okay?" Rick asked Daryl.

Beth said, "I'm going to be fine. Just bumps and bruises."

"Her wrist is broken and she has a severe concussion," Hershel butted in as he turned to Rick. "Lucky to be alive after the fall she took."

Daryl was glad he had the talk with him earlier. Hershel wouldn't give any of them a single inch.

"I need to lay down," Beth mumbled and slumped a little in Daryl's arms.

"Get her back to bed, Daryl. She shouldn't be up at all," Maggie told him and shooed him out of the doorway. "You can't do anythin' anyway."

Daryl bent down and picked up Beth, carrying her back to her room. That's when he realized she had been playing him. Her eyes were clear and opened.

"How can we leave now?"

"Easy. We walk out the door," he told her with a shrug.

The feelings moved between them too easily, though, and their concern for Carl was consuming them both. Daryl sighed.

He tucked her into bed and sat beside her, taking her hand. He ran his finger along her palm.

"I won't lose you." Daryl told her and pulled away. "I can't."

Every single ounce of him was laid bare before her, and all he felt back was the same depth of commitment.

No one had ever told him that needing someone like this would feel like he was dying a little.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Thank you so much for reading and review! I'd love to hear what you think about this one!

It's shorter than the others, but I had to break it up. You'll understand why.

* * *

If laughing wouldn't have made her head hurt, she would have done it. Finally, Beth knew what Daryl felt for her was truly real, and everything was already in motion for her death.

How was that even fair?

It didn't have to be, though. They could leave right now while everyone was distracted by Carl, but what would Shane do? Would he still end up trying to kill someone?

She wished that she had the answers, but it didn't feel like Eliza was going to be paying a visit anytime soon.

It was selfish, but Daryl was the one she came for, and the one she cared about. Beth didn't want to see Carl die, but he was in good hands, and there was nothing she could do. She had no medical training, and she had no divine healing powers.

The more Daryl stood there, silent and pouring his heart directly to her, the more she accepted what they were about to do. He might not ever be able to say the words out loud, but she didn't need them. Not when she felt this and saw the look of helplessness in his eyes.

The moment he felt her change her mind and the resignation turned to urgency, he took several startled breathes.

"Thank you," he whispered and looked at the door. "Thank fuckin' God."

"Don't use His name like that," she muttered.

The bag was still packed on the bed and his crossbow beside it. "I'll take this to the truck and come back for ya. We'll leave now while everyone's busy."

Daryl didn't wait for her to answer, he grabbed their things and took off. She imagined he'd go out the back door, so he wouldn't be seen. Less questions, more movement.

Beth closed her eyes and eased back against the pillows. At least she knew they had those in the truck still. Maybe they could find a nice cabin to live in. Like the one from her dream with Eliza. With Daryl and the child.

That brought a tiny smile to her lips.

"Don't see no reason to be smilin'," Shane said, his voice like ice. Beth snapped her eyes open and watched him from his place in the doorway. "Ya know, all our problems started when you showed up."

She saw no use in keeping up the act anymore. They were leaving, and Shane wasn't going to scare her.

"It's really just a coincidence," she said quietly. "I showed up when Rick did. You're angry about Rick but can't take it out on your friend. Otherwise, he might start questioning why you wished he were dead. Then you'd have to tell him about Lori, and we know how that would go."

"What. Are. You?" He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He twisted the lock into place.

"I'm just a girl," she told him. "I'm not special. I don't know what you've been thinking or what thoughts might have been twisting their way inside your mind, but I'm just Beth."

His eyes flickered with confusion for a moment, like he wasn't sure what he was asking her. Then the darkness settled back over him like a blanket.

"You're not right. You changed things."

"Only little things."

"No." His voice got darker, more sinister. His accent dropping completely, and Lucifer shining through. "People are gone that should be here, and people are here that should be gone. People who tread the line of light and dark have been swayed before their time. You are at fault, Guardian."

She swallowed and scooted away. "I know, but I can't change what has happened."

"And you would leave here before I had my chance at retribution? Do you even know the things that were in store for that human of yours? The devastation in his path? The devastation he would cause? You ruined a perfectly fine example of someone waiting to be turned.

"For years, I've waited for these miscreants to lose His favor, and when it finally happens, I'm beaten before I know the game has began by a Guardian Angel? You're not even a Seraphim!"

"I'm sorry that my rank is so lowly, Morning Star." She felt Daryl's presence grow closer. "Are you sure you want to use that human body as a vessel? I've come to find out that they're very fragile."

"You'll come to find out just how easy that heart stops beating soon enough."

The door handle shook as Daryl tried to come inside. "Beth!"

She looked at Shane's body and the evil behind his eyes. "Daryl," she called out. "We're too late."

"Yes," Lucifer said and walked forward. "You're too late. When I kill you, it will push him over the edge, and at least one future will turn out right. The rest of them will have to wait for a couple of years, but really, what's that in the grand scheme of things? I have eternity."

Beth stood up on shaky legs. Daryl beat against the door, but she knew as long as _he_ didn't want it open, it would stay locked.

"This is all so beneath you, Lucifer," she said with disgust evident in her tone. "Taking a human host to kill a fallen angel. You of all beings should have some respect for fallen creatures."

"Only if they fall on the right side," he answered.

"Before you end me, I'd like you to answer a question."

He stared at her, cocking his head at an odd angle. She had known Shane only briefly, and he wasn't a good man, but he wasn't this. It was unnerving to see possession up close, and even more odd that he was actually the Devil himself.

"Ask away," he said with a wave of his hand. "We have all the time in the world."

The door stopped shaking and the room grew still. He had stopped time or at least slowed it down enough to complete the conversation before Daryl broke down the door after "Shane" had killed her.

"What's so special about me that you would come from below to end me yourself? Why not send one of your demons? There are plenty of those to go around."

"What makes you think I haven't?" He asked with a shrug. "Sometimes if you want the job done, you have to do it yourself. Isn't that what the humans say?"

"Some of them. The Father won't save me, Lucifer. If he won't step in, then my death won't change the outcome of anything for you. I would like to understand why I'm being targeted."

He laughed humorlessly. "You're part of his plan to change the world. He'll come, but he'll be too late because I've finally gotten the upper hand. I've waited patiently for this, and I don't even have time to enjoy it.

"Your death will bring hundreds of years of torment to Earth, and the longer this goes on, the more soulless people become. It's delicious."

Tears clouded her vision, and she thought back to something Eliza said before she had messed everything up.

" _All we have to do is press 'reset', Bethany. It's so simple."_

She blinked and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Don't cry," Lucifer said. "I promise, it'll only hurt a moment. Then you'll pop right back home."

"I know." Her throat was tight as she held back a sob. "I have to go back to the beginning."

"In a way. I doubt you'll be a Guardian again, though."

Beth closed her eyes and flooded her connection to Daryl with the one thing she hadn't been able to say in person.

 _I'll find you._

She felt his panic as she closed the connection then she smiled at Lucifer. "I think it's time to go home."

"That's the spirit," he said with a crooked grin and moved toward her.

"I wasn't talking to you," she said, her voice hard.

Lucifer's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to ask a question but was cut off as a bright light filled the room.

"Maybe next time?" She said through her tears, and then she did the only thing she could think of to make Daryl proud, she shot Lucifer the finger right before the light took her away.

* * *

The door fell open against the pressure of his shoulder, but he wasn't inside Hershel's farm house any longer.

The forest stretched out all around him, and he was holding his crossbow at the ready. A twig snapped to his right, and he turned his head.

There she was, looking around as she pressed one hand against a tree.

"What the hell happened to us?" He asked gruffly.

His body felt like it had been twisted up and tossed around as he moved toward her.

Beth turned and looked at him. Scars lined her face where her stitches had been and her eyes were full of tears.

"We're getting a second chance."


	18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

I'm so sorry this is late, but I will complete it before school starts back!

Thank you for continuing to read!

* * *

Beth raced across the distance to him, thinking about what she had experienced in that bright light. How to him, this was moments, but to her, she had been pleading for days.

He would never know that torture, but soon, new memories would seep into his mind and cozy up next to the original ones. That was part of the deal that took longest to broker.

" _He must not forget how we arrived at this point."_

Her fingers touched the scruff of his jaw, and she sighed, leaning against him. It was so hard to believe that she was standing in front of him.

Daryl's fingers traced her scars and before he could ask her about them, she said, "Not everything could be fixed. These are to remind me to have patience."

"Patience?"

"There are some things that won't change, and we need to remember there's a balance that must be kept."

"If He can change this, then why can't he turn it all back to how it was?"

"The world ending was going to happen no matter what. With their free will humans destroyed the planet. This way is the one where it doesn't end in fire. I prefer it to that possible future."

"Fire?"

Beth nodded. There was honestly too many details about that one that she didn't have time for if she was going to get her main points across.

"This place," she gesture around them and took a step back, "is our in-between. A sort of pause, if you will. In about a minute, it will all disappear, and you and I will be in downtown Atlanta."

That was the moment she noticed his eyes glaze over, and she knew what was happening.

"How'd you do that?"

"I didn't. He did. What do you know now?"

"It's the same as before, but now there's a different way it goes up until a certain point at least. I don't have anythin' new past Atlanta, but leadin' up to it, is different. You're different."

She blushed. "It was the only way to make it so Shane wouldn't be suspicious of me and to keep Lucifer from preying on that weakness. He'll turn his sights to Rick now, and that's a battle he will never win."

"So, you're safe?" He eyes scanned her features and he walked toward her again.

"I'm safe for now. Satan knows that no good will come from trying to seek me out again." In her mind, she wanted to add that things could change. They could always change, but for Daryl, right now, it was all too much to take in.

"They think I wanted to go with the group into Atlanta to try and find ya," he said quietly. He lifted his hand to touch her but pulled it back.

"Yes, memories have been altered accordingly. Everyone will remember you talking about me, wanting to go back into the city to find me, but they'll say that it was burned out and there can't possibly be survivors. And—"

"I tell 'em to fuck off. I went lookin' for ya, and they went to find some supplies. It's how they find Rick, too."

Beth smiled. "Yes."

"What about Merle?"

She shook her head and looked away. There was no telling what would happen with him.

Daryl looked away. "Hmmm."

The world around them started to flicker a little, but Daryl didn't notice. He was too lost in his thoughts about Merle. In order to make this truly be real for Glenn and Rick along with the others, she knew what Eliza told her to do, so she closed the space between Daryl and herself.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and her fingers twined into his hair in the way she always imagined.

Daryl turned slowly to look down at her, his bow lowered at his side. His eyes flickered between hers and her lips, watching as she ran her tongue along her bottom one.

"Pretend you're in love with me," she whispered, pushing herself closer. "We have to make them believe it."

He blinked slowly, but lowered his head as she rose up on her tiptoes. Beth's heart hammered in her chest as he brushed his lips against hers.

Slow, torturous, breathtaking.

The second brush was more forceful, and the third, she heard his bow clattered to the pavement as his hand fisted her shirt, pulling her somehow closer.

Beth opened her mouth to take his top lip between hers, sucking lightly as she pulled away. Daryl yanked her back to him and walked her backward. What had been a tree was now the firm brick of a building, but he didn't seem to notice.

Their breath mingled and so many feelings swelled inside of her as their kiss continued. Her hands tugged his head closer, her mouth opened against his, softly he traced her bottom lip with his tongue before pulling it between his lips, stealing her thoughts.

"I sure hope that's her!" Glenn's voice rang around them and Daryl stilled. "This _is_ Beth, right?"

Daryl opened his eyes and looked into hers. "Yeah, this is my girl."

Her smile widened as she removed her hands from his hair and settled one against his neck and the other against his jaw. Without thinking, she drug her thumb against the soft, swollen skin of his lower lip. He shivered and stepped back one more step, still watching her.

"We should probably leave now."

Glenn cleared his throat. "Well, we've run into a bit of an issue. There's a guy stuck under the tank one street over. He's probably in it by now."

Daryl reached down and picked up his bow. "What the fuck's that got to do with us?"

Glenn looked over his shoulder and into the street. "He had a really big bag of guns that we could use."

Beth took Daryl's hand and tugged him toward the fire escape ladder. "We need to climb up before the walkers get to us."

"Walkers," Glenn repeated with a nod. "I like that one better than rotters."

Beth shrugged innocently, knowing she was taking this from Rick. They climbed up to the roof and instead of seeing it happen from above, Beth was now watching events unfold on Earth.

This day would be the same and so would the next. She would have to make sacrifices, including letting some people die. That conversation could happen with Daryl once they were back at camp and in their own tent.

For now, she held his hand and felt the tingle of his kiss linger on her lips as they saved Rick Grimes.

* * *

Daryl wasn't sure what to do. It was weird as hell to have these new memories in his brain. Things like meeting Beth at some little bar where she was singing, her approaching him, getting him a drink.

Dates, hanging out at her place.

In his memories, she had an apartment in Atlanta. It was a nice little one-bedroom place. Tiny kitchen.

None of his memories were of kisses or sex. It was all tame stuff. Things people in polite company would ask.

He had memories of Merle calling him a pussy-whipped asshole when he went with Beth instead of him. Just before they left to go into Atlanta, Merle on the supply run, Daryl to find Beth, he'd made fun of him in front of the entire group about how that little blonde thing had him wrapped around his finger.

Yeah, this would settle it for everyone.

Beth let go of his hand and moved to the edge of the roof as Glenn spoke to a man on the walkie talkie.

"Hey, asshole! Yeah, you, the guy in the tank."

He didn't pay attention to much more. Daryl's mind reeled a little at the thought he'd have to leave behind his brother again, but Beth told him they had to let some things be this time.

There would be some meddling, though. Beth couldn't just stand idly by and watch people die. Neither could he. Not Merle.

He remembered before when he was ready to run, and he was ready to do the same thing again, right at that moment. There was no reason to stay with this group. They weren't family, and they weren't his concern.

She was his concern. She was his reason for being there.

"You're thinking hard," she whispered as she walked back to him.

He tried to feel what he had before, but it wasn't nearly as strong. "Can you still…" he motioned between them.

Beth sighed. "It's faded, but still there."

Glenn was too busy barking orders into the walkie to notice their conversation, and Beth moved closer and raised up on her toes, her lips by his ear.

"We're still immune. The CDC will be tricky, Daryl."

He nodded slowly.

"They gotta go, though." He stated, knowing that was part of their journey.

"Yes, Rick needs to go there."

"Do we?"

Beth met his stare with those sky blue eyes and shrugged. "I don't know if we're supposed to go or not. This our decision."

"Hey, love birds! We got a new guy coming up the ladder!"

Daryl immediately pulled his crossbow and aimed. Rick popped up through the opening in the fire escape, out of breath and panting. He sprawled out on the roof and caught his breath as they looked on.

"He don't have no guns," Daryl pointed out, still aiming his bow.

"No, he lost those in the street. We need to make up a plan to grab those on our way out."

"With over a hundred rotters around that damn bag? You know any tricks, slick?" Daryl asked and lowered his bow.

Beth pulled on his belt loop. "I do."

They all turned to look at her, but she didn't move her hand from Daryl's side. "I saw a few people sneak out of one building and make it through a herd. They killed a walker and covered themselves in its blood and guts. It covered their smell. I was too scared to try it, and I'll be honest, I've been waiting on Daryl to come back." She glanced at him. "A weekend hunting trip turns into three weeks with no word."

"I'm sorry," he whispered and leaned closer to her before realizing he still had an audience.

"You're here now."

A throat cleared and they look at Rick who was sitting up agains the ledge. "Why'd ya help me?"

"Couldn't just let you live out your days in that tank," Glenn answered. "It was the right thing to do. I'm Glenn. That's Daryl and Beth."

"No," Daryl muttered. "Savin' people ain't always the right thing."

"Daryl," Beth whispered harshly.

"What?" He asked and turned away.

"I'm Rick Grimes," the man said as he stood up, ignoring Daryl.

"We should try and get back to the group." Glenn nodded in the direction of the department store. "Get those guns and get back to camp."

No one talked as they walked across the roof to the other access point that led to the alley on the other side of the building. When they were about to climb down, Beth spoke.

"I really need to get my pack from my apartment. It's two blocks over."

Daryl nodded. "We'll go get it and meet y'all at the store. If y'all go for the guns before the get there, remember cover youself up good like she said. Tell Merle I got her and what we're doin'. "

Not once did his voice crack thinking of what he was setting his brother up for. He added, "If that pisses him off, remember that just 'cause Merle's an asshole doesn't mean he can't calm down. He's comin' off some shit, so take that into account, okay?"

Rick looked at him strangely and Glenn nodded thoughtfully.

"We'll see you two soon. I'll run that idea by the group, Beth. See what they think about it in terms of getting the weapons or getting out."

With that, Glenn started down the ladder, Rick following, then Daryl and finally Beth.

On the ground, they parted ways, Daryl grabbing Beth's hand as he led her to her apartment, knowing the way like those memories were real.

Beth ran close to Daryl, squeezing his fingers and wondered if Glenn would still make it to the farm and find Maggie. There were somethings that needed to happen, and that was one of them. She didn't actually know that as fact, but she knew Glenn and Maggie brought each other happiness, and she wanted that relationship to flourish.

If they got the guns today, they wouldn't go back for them, and they wouldn't get caught by the Vatos. They'd be there when the herd attacked.

Beth didn't want to go to the CDC, but she knew Rick needed to go which meant they'd need to push him that way and leave or go with him and then leave at the farm like they had planned before.

The truth was, Rick Grimes was a much bigger player in the game than she had been, and it was so odd that Lucifer went for her, thinking she meant more. Rick Grimes could save the world.

Once she and Daryl turned the corner, he began speaking in hushed tones. "We need to get outta here. Let 'em think we got attacked and died. This herd is enough of an explanation. This whole fuckin' city is an explanation. We'll go south. There's a cabin my daddy kept for huntin'. It's off the map and safe. We can make it safer."

Beth shook her head. "We have to go back to the quarry. We need to be there for when the walkers attack. You need to help protect them."

"Does it protect you?" He turned on her and his eyes were blazing. "Well?"

"I can stay in the truck. Like we did originally."

He shook his head and kept moving down the street toward the building that was hers. It was so silly that all this trouble in world-building happened just for her.

She wasn't sure why she was given this opportunity. Maybe she was all part of a bigger plan, or maybe she was just part of Daryl's plan.

"When we get to the store, they'll be gone and he'll be stuck on that roof," Daryl mumbled. "I can't do that, Beth."

"Some things have to be the same," she repeated as he opened the door to her building and started for the stairs.

"Merle?"

"I think so," she admitted.

"Why?" He asked as he made it to her door. She took a key from her pocket and unlocked they door.

"I don't know."

"Grab your shit. We're goin' to get my brother."

Beth's eyes widened. "I think he's supposed to go somewhere else, Daryl."

"Why?" Daryl yelled. "If it's such a big damn deal, then why didn't they tell ya why?"

"I'm not a Guardian anymore. I'm no one! I'm lucky I got to come back. It's been days for me, Daryl, and moments for you. I begged Father to let me come back."

Daryl paced around the small living room as Beth ran down the hall to grab a packed backpack. When she came back, he was staring at some pictures along the mantle.

They were of them, but not of them. Figments of a past that never was.

"I still don't get it. If He can do this, why not fix the world?"

"He's wrathful, and this is punishment."

"That's fucked."

Beth shrugged. "It's His to decide. He's the Creator. Not you. Not me. Not Lucifer."

Daryl grabbed one frame and opened the back up, taking the picture out and carefully folding it and placing it in his back pocket.

"Angel, we're gonna go get my brother. Fuck the rules."

She knew then there was no arguing. They were going to get Merle Dixon off that roof, and they were going to do it now.


	19. Chapter 19

Ch. 19

Thank you so much for reading! Things are getting different now!

* * *

Daryl watched for movement out of the corner of his eye as he slid along the side of the building. So far, there was nothing in their path and whatever herd had chased Rick was still busy elsewhere.

He knew that could change in a minute, and Beth would be in danger. He wasn't going to leave Merle, though. He would look for him this time.

"I think this is it," Beth whispered. "I remember this from someone else's view."

He nodded and looked around the side of the building for a ladder up. One was there about halfway down the alley. He was ready to make a run for it, when the loud rumble of a truck came barreling around the other corner, walkers trailing after it.

"Fuck," he muttered.

The back door of the building swung open and the others that had come to Atlanta with Daryl dived into the back of the delivery truck moments before the walkers ran into the side.

"We gotta go, Beth," he said and yanked her arm down toward the alley.

"They'll get out again. Do you think they got the guns already?"

"Probably not."

"Should we?"

Daryl almost stopped and asked if she was fucking crazy. There was no way he was covering her in blood and sending her out there to get a bag of guns.

When they reached the ladder, he boosted her up then hauled himself up. They had gotten a quarter of the way up the ladder before the walkers poured into the alley under them.

"We're gonna be stuck here awhile. I hope you got food in that pack."

"I have a little," she said. "It's not much. I was running low."

Daryl snorted. "It's kinda fucked how you remember that, isn't it?"

Beth was quiet as she continued to climb. "I guess so, but I'm glad for it."

"Yeah," Daryl agreed and kept moving, ignoring the snarls below. "I guess it's good."

* * *

Beth didn't know what Daryl wanted her to say. She would never second guess the chance she'd been given.

Was it a little odd to have human memories? Of course, but it was worth it. It was all worth it.

When she reached the top, she expected to see Merle Dixon handcuffed to the roof, but there was no one there. Daryl popped up behind her and looked everywhere.

"Where is he? There wasn't enough time for him to run."

"I don't know," she whispered and walked all over the roof. Finally, she looked down over the edge and caught sight of the tank two intersections over. Walkers surrounding it.

The walkers that had been below their ladder were now following the sound of that herd.

"Do you think Merle was with 'em?" Daryl asked as he stood beside her.

Beth shrugged. It didn't make sense for Merle to be gone.

"Maybe he left them to find us?" She said and looked back in the direction of her apartment.

"Nah, he wouldn't go there. He didn't like ya."

"He did," she argued. "He was jealous you spent all your time with me."

Daryl snorted. "Right."

She shrugged and looked around below. There would be no way to get out with all the walkers close by.

"What do we do?"

"We wait, I guess," Daryl said and sat down against the piping that his brother had been chained to in other life.

For several minutes, they were silent. Then Beth caught a glimpse of solid red moving down the street, past walkers, toward the tank.

"Oh my gracious," she whispered and placed a hand to her mouth.

"What?"

"I found your brother."

* * *

Daryl popped up and ran to the edge of the roof. It took him a minute to find him, but there he was covered in walker blood, walking toward the tank.

"What's he doing?"

"I don't know," Daryl answered. "Wish I had my fuckin' binoculars."

Beth touched his arm in support but didn't say anything. Until Merle turned the corner, neither one of them even really breathed.

"They told him to get the guns. They tried to get his ass killed," Daryl growled.

"How do you know he didn't hear about the guns and volunteer? Maybe he thinks y'all can steal from the camp this way?"

Daryl shot her a hard look and Beth leaned away. "What? That was still his plan and you know it."

"Hell," Daryl said and scrubbed his face. "He's high as a damn kite. That's the only reason he did this."

"Do you want to do the same and go after him?"

"No," he answered. "That's fuckin' crazy."

He walked away and looked down. The walkers from the alley were gone and after he checked the other sides, he told Beth, "If we're gonna run, we'll do it now."

"Where do we go?"

"We do a big fuckin' circle then catch back up with his ass as he gets to the fences that they parked to van beside."

Beth nodded and gripped her shoulder straps. "Lead the way, Mr. Dixon."

* * *

They made it through the alleys without issue and found the spot where Merle had dumped his bloody clothes near the fence. A sheriff's hat lay beside them, and Beth picked it up. "This means a lot to Carl."

Daryl grunted. "Where did he go? He fuckin' left me?"

Beth immediately disagreed. "I'm sure he thought you'd be safe or else he wouldn't have left."

He ignored what she said. "If he's back at camp when we get there, we're havin' words at least."

"I expect nothing less."

He growled a little and began walking. "Fucker."

* * *

Back at the quarry, Merle Dixon was scrubbed clean and looking proud of himself when they arrived.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Daryl hollered at him.

"Calm your tits, Darla. Knew you'd be fine." He looked over at Beth. "Well, if she hasn't finally blessed us with her presence."

"Hi, Merle." Beth gave him a half wave and sighed.

"Not a single one of y'all assholes could wait?" Daryl asked, throwing his crossbow to the ground.

Glenn held up his hands. "The dead were busting through the glass of the department store. We couldn't stay. Merle said he would wait for you by the van."

"Well, he fuckin' didn't, did he? No one came back to meet us either!"

Shane eyed him a little then shrugged. "You're here. You're fine. Your brother got the guns we needed."

Rick approached then. "Listen, you told us before we left y'all that your brother was hard to deal with. He came at a few people, said some really terrible things. I gave him a job to get him out of our hair. It was either that or keepin' him handcuffed to the roof."

Daryl looked at Merle who was finding the ground very interesting and asked Rick, "You handcuffed my brother to a roof and wanted to leave him there?"

"Wouldn't be the first time someone got sick of my ass," Merle said. "It's fuckin' fine, okay? Look, Officer Friendly's a fuckin' tool, but I took his offer 'cause I didn't want to get left up there. You and that bitch of yours are back together, too. Let's just all call it even."

Daryl's hands were clenched into fists. "Go huntin', Merle. Get the fuck outta my sight."

Beth moved toward Daryl and a laid a hand on his arm. She whispered as Merle rolled his eyes. "You know him, Daryl. Once he gets something in his mind, he won't let go. There's no telling what he was thinking."

"He fuckin' wasn't thinkin' about anybody but himself!" He yelled and yanked his arm away.

Beth looked at each person and saw how wary they were of him in that moment. He looked angry and wild. Merle looked ready for a fight, too.

This was her opportunity to show them that she could help calm him down, and that what they had was actually real. She could still feel his rage faintly and knew it would burn beyond control soon.

With a deep breath, she walked back toward him. "Daryl," she whispered. "Love?"

He looked at her with narrowed eyes.

Beth nodded toward Merle. "When has he ever listened to anyone? Especially us?"

With a heavy sigh, he glanced around. Everyone had sorta dispersed. Beth knew he was realizing that it didn't matter to them that he was a mad at Merle or that Merle hadn't waited for him.

Rick was celebrating the fact he'd found his family. Shane was pissed that Rick was still alive but also happy. Everyone else had other feelings going around. It wasn't just about him and Beth or him and Merle.

This might have been a big deal to him, but everyone in this camp had their own stories playing out, too. Time to move on again.

"Let me show you the tent."

Beth visibly recoiled. "Tent?"

"Yeah, where we sleep."

She shook her head. "I'm not sleeping in a tent."

Daryl laughed this time, real and gravelly, causing a few people to look at them and shift closer.

"Now ain't the time to get all picky on campin' with me, angel."

Beth shot him a look that told him he needed to play along. "It's not that. I've seen those things, Daryl."

"We're up a fuckin' mountain, girl. Walkers ain't up here."

"I won't sleep in a tent. It's a matter of time before they make it this far, and a tent isn't protection."

"Where do you plan on sleepin'?"

"The truck," Beth said and nodded to the cab. "I'll lock the doors and be very quiet."

"Beth," he sighed. "Ya can't sleep in there."

"You didn't hear them eating people alive inside the same building you lived in. You don't get to tell me where to sleep."

Everyone was listening intently now.

"Just let her sleep in the truck," Lori said with a kind smile. "It's obviously been traumatic for her where she was."

Beth looked around and her eyes stopped on the group of children and their mothers. "The children should be in cars, too."

This seemed to frighten them, and Beth covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm…it's very hard to be out in the open like this."

"It's okay, and it's not a bad idea, sweetie," Carol told her and looked to the back of her station wagon. "In fact, there's plenty of room for them in the back of our car."

Ed stumbled into view. His face was battered from Shane's beating. _A beating that should have happened the following day._ Beth looked at Daryl, who looked just as confused.

"Ya can't volunteer shit that isn't yours."

"They're sleeping in the car, Ed."

He breathed heavily and turned away. "Fuckin' bitch."

The camp stood in silence, no one looking at anyone in particular. Merle tracked him with his eyes as he went back into the woods where their tent must have been set up.

Finally, Rick spoke, "You were in the middle of it then? Ya hear anythin' about the CDC? I've been thinkin' that might be a good place for us to go."

Beth looked at him with wide eyes. "I heard the CDC was gone. After the military left or deserted, there wasn't any way to protect it. The city became theirs."

"Can ya tell us how you managed to survive then?" Shane asked, crossing his arms and staring her down.

"I didn't leave my apartment after the blackout. I had just gone shopping right before and bought so much food I drained my bank account. I barricaded my door shut and listened."

Lori led the children away and when they were gone, Beth continued. Her new memories were full of emotions that gutted her.

"I could hear people screaming in the street. I lived on the second floor, so no one could get to my window without a ladder, and by the time people tried to break into the building, nearly everyone inside had turned.

"I didn't make a noise for days because I was afraid they'd hear me opening a bag of chips or something." She shook her head. "I was watching out my window when the helicopters came and dropped fire on downtown. I've never been so glad that I barely made enough to make ends meet because I was just out of the blast zones.

"I could smell the burning, though. I watched from the widow as walkers, _burning_ walkers, moved through the streets. It was Hell. Then as suddenly as all the noise started, it stopped. Whatever infected had been in my building, wandered off down the street. There were no more screams from people dying, and I thought I was the last person alive."

Beth looked at Daryl who was closing his eyes tightly.

"Then I saw Glenn. He was running down the street. I could have sworn I saw Daryl, too, but I thought I was imagining it. Still, I pried open my door, and I ran after them.

"Two alleys over, I saw Daryl, and that's how I'm here. I'm sorry if I scared anyone about the tents, but I can't sleep in something that flimsy. I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep anywhere that doesn't have a window again. I don't want to sleep someplace that isn't off the ground, but Daryl can't build a treehouse on such short notice."

Rick walked toward her. "You've been through a lot. No one faults you it. If you think it's safer for you, then you do what you need to do to feel safe. It's a good point."

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I don't mean to sound crazy."

"You don't sound crazy," he said. "You sound scared."

"I am. We all should be," Beth told him. "I don't think you should go back into the city. It's lost."

He stared her down for a moment then nodded. "We'll think on it. Now, I think we should eat some of these fish that they're frying up, okay?"

"Yeah." Beth nodded as everyone walked away.

Daryl moved up beside her and laid his forehead on her shoulder. "Do you think it'll work?"

"No," she said quietly back. "But I've laid down reason enough why _we_ won't ever go back into the city."

"Yea, ya did."

After a beat of silence, she said, "Ed was beaten today. The fish fry is tonight. Everything is moving quicker."

"Yeah. Looks like gettin' those guns and avoidin' the Vatos sped things up." Daryl looked around the camp. "Stay in the truck."

"What the fuck are y'all whisperin' about?" Merle seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

His eyes were bloodshot, but he wasn't as high as Daryl thought he had been. Maybe in this time, he hadn't been?

"Nothin'. Beth and me was talkin' about gettin' up north. Big groups of people draw too much noise and are harder to feed."

Merle nodded. "That's true. We gonna rob 'em?"

"Fuck no," Daryl said harshly. "We sure as shit ain't."

"Then what do ya wanna do?"

Beth squeezed Daryl's hand and said, "Tonight, we eat and rest. This can wait another day."

After a few seconds, Daryl agreed.

"Still pussy-whipped, I see." Merle looked disgusted. "But I guess that's what we'll do for now."

Once he had walked off to their tent, Beth's shoulders slumped and she looked at Daryl.

"I have no idea what we're supposed to do now. Everything's different."

"Good," Daryl said with a sharp nod. "Last time fuckin' sucked."


End file.
